France is chock-full of palaces, but
there’s one – Palais Ideal – that stands out above the rest as a work of
art and devotion. Ferdinand Cheval, a French postman with no formal
architectural or artistic training, spent 33 years building this
extraordinary structure by cementing together oddly-shaped rocks that he
found along his mail route.
Construction on the palace began in 1879
and was completed in 1912. After stumbling on a strange stone that
inspired his dream, Cheval began walking his 18-mile mail route with a
wheelbarrow so he could collect other strange rocks and pebbles.
The Palace Ideal is located in
Hauterives, a town in southeastern France. It is open almost all year
for visits, and also often serves as a venue for extraordinary concerts
and art exhibitions. If you’re traveling to France, but this amazing
work of DIY outsider art on your list!
