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Palais Ideal
At Hauterives at the end of the 19th century (from 1879-1912), the local postman - Ferdinand Cheval - spent his spare time very industriously.
Over the course of more than 30 years he produced a remarkable building, mostly using stones and pebbles that he collected during his deliveries. And then he built a similar tomb in the town churchyard, where cheval is now buried.
It is not easy to classify the building although the term 'naive architecture' has been applied. A fabulously ornate creation, it was an incredible achievement.
After dreaming of his project for 12 years, Ferdinand Cheval got to work, collecting stones during the day and building at night. Apparently he had something of a reputation as being eccentric!
The main building has a variety of scenes and highlights, including a hindu temple and an Egyptian Monument, and also further alcoves containing miniature versions of buildings from around the world - swiss chalet, medieval chateau and so on.
Before the building - the Palais Idéal - was even finished it had quite a reputation, and the support of Pablo Picasso as a surrealist monument.
The building is now a classified historic monument.
Palais Ideal (Cheval): tourist information and map
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