"LE PALAIS IDEAL DU FACTEUR CHEVAL"
A unique site unlike any other, straight out of a country postman’s roaming imagination, the “Palais Idéal” is a tribute to the genius of nature. Nature through which Ferdinand Cheval walks each day during his long postal rounds in 1879. The contemplation of nature provides him an intense happiness and gives him the inspiration to get down to work.
From the first to the last stone, this man builds untiringly his dream of eternity : 93 000 hours, 10 000 days, 33 years. The ridicule from some villagers is quickly swept away by the encouragements of others and he keeps on building imperturbably. And because he also dreams of distant horizons, travelling and exotic adventures, Ferdinand Cheval invites history, philosophies, civilisations and religions from all over the world to be part of his construction. The “Palais idéal “ becomes a temple of nature , of ideas , of tolerance. The messages engraved by the postman are timeless and speak to each of us according to his heart...
