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- Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924), a French postman, began work on his dream palace in the late 19th century. As the story is told, Cheval tripped on a rock in 1879 along his mail route, picked it up and was so fascinated by its peculiar shape that he was inspired to build the imaginative palace.
www.atlasobscura.com/places/le-palais-ideal
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Cheval also wanted to be buried in his palace. When, however, the French authorities prohibited that, he spent eight more years building a mausoleum for himself in the Hauterives cemetery. He died on 19 August 1924, about a year after he had finished building it, and is buried there.
Ferdinand Cheval was a French postman who, inspired by a dream, spent 35 years building the "Palais Ideal", a unique and whimsical palace considered one of France's cultural landmarks and a prime example of naive art architecture.
Three staircases lead to the Terrace, where Ferdinand Cheval placed his “stumbling block”, the first stone on which he tripped and which inspired him to create his ideal Palace. At the top of the Palace, between prickly pear trees and aloes, stands the Barbary Tower.
The pebble kickstarted a dream, a wild and improbable longing – he decided to build his own palace, a fairy tale palace. Soon he began filling his pockets with pebbles as he walked his long rounds delivering post.
Jul 2, 2009 · Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924), a French postman, began work on his dream palace in the late 19th century. As the story is told, Cheval tripped on a rock in 1879 along his mail route, picked...