A degree in architecture takes years of study. Even then, there's only a one in a million chance you'll design a work of art that will be declared a national monument. But Ferdinand Cheval aka Facteur Cheval (1836-1924) built the Palais Ideal in Hauterives, France, out of stones he collected on his route as a postman, with no architectural or engineering training. It took 33 years to construct this amateur fairy tale palace by hand. Cheval, who wished to be buried inside, was forced to go even further and build his own ornate mausoleum at 78-years-old, since local officials wouldn't grant him the permissions to be buried within without one.
(Regis Duvignau/Reuters)
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