A postman single-handedly built the Ideal Palace
Ideal Palace – Ferdinand Cheval, a postman, built his dream palace all by himself and it took him 33 long years before it was finally finished.
It is quite normal to see palaces in France and other parts of Europe. However, there was one palace that is really one of a kind. If other palaces took a lot of people to build, the one located in Hauterives, France is something special as only one man worked hard to establish a unique structure.
Based on the article in Autour Du Palais Ideal, the Postman Cheval took inspiration from nature, postcards, and illustrated magazines for his artwork.
The Ideal Palace is classified as a historical monument by Malraux in 1969. In 2020, it has hailed as second place among 14 sites in the ranking of the favorite monument of people in France. Children or even adult visitors can hide, climb on the terraces, and discover strange animals in the palace.
It is so unique that there is no other palace like this anywhere in the world. In summer, two exhibits are being held – Jean-Michel Othoniel “Le rêve de l’eau” and Léna Vandrey “Insomnia.
Postman Cheval built the palace from 1879 to 1912. It took him 10,000 days, 93,000 hours and this is equivalent to 33 years of hard work. In January 2019, Niels Tavernier released the movie The Incredible Story of Postman Cheval and this is about the incredible postman’s palace.
The movie is a beautiful, romantic sentiment and it is about this amazing person and his artistic adventure. In April 1879, Postman Cheval, who was 43 years old back then, stumbled during his tour on a strange stone that it awakened a dream in him.
He was indeed a self-taught person and he devote 33 years of his life to building his dream palace in his vegetable garden. The postman was 77 years old when he finished building his palace. The palace is open all year round. Its facade is heavily-ornamented.