Le Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval, Hauterives, Drome, Rhones-Alpes, Southern France
Fantasy Chateau created by a postman 1879 - 1912
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France
(August 2010)
Le Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval, Hauterives, Drome, Rhones-Alpes, South of France
This surreallist masterpiece of sculptured architecture was created by Ferdinand Cheval, born in 1836 in Charmes-sur-l'herbasse. He built this palace using his self taught skills of builder and visionary sculptor between 1879 and 1912 using as his inspiration styles from all over the world. It was during his daily postmans round of 32 kilometers each day that he dreamt up his magical palace.
In 1896 he retired from being a postman and spent the next 16 years finishing his masterpiece. The Palais Ideal was lauded by Picasso and Andre Breton, and in the context of Sigmund Freud is a fitting masterpiece to celebrate the gains in psychology and understanding the unconcious mind that was revolutionised at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval, is in the pretty village of Hauterives, which also is the home to Labyrinthes of Hauterives - a place to explore and get lost in mazes made out of hedges.
The village is not far from Lyon, Valence, Romans, Saint Donat sur l'Herbasse, as well as the exquisite wines and vineyards of Tain l'Hermitage in the Rhone valley.
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