By Mark S. Kuhar
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Middle Earth will find this news utterly fascinating.
An ambitious group of architects have launched a crowdfunding campaign in the hope of building a life-size replica of the city of Minas Tirith, the heavily-fortified capital of Gondor that is built into the rocks on the side of a mountain in the “Lord of the Rings.”
Jonathan Wilson and his colleagues are “fully aware of the scale of [their] ambition,” and are seeking £1.85 billion for the project, which would be divided for land, labor and materials.
The campaign has a multi-tiered reward system, with investors who cough up large amounts getting their own houses in the city and even being declared Lord or Lady of it with use of a horse-drawn carriage.
The scale of their project may be too high of a mountain to climb – or build – as they only have 60 days to raise the funds and are currently well short of that (all money will be returned if the goal isn’t met).
In the crowdfunding description, the architects state:
We are an ambitious team of architects and structural engineers who are passionate about creating a beautiful, inspirational and fully-functioning replica of Peter Jackson’s depiction of Minas Tirith, as seen in his “Lord of the Rings” films.
We all share a love of Tolkien’s work, and a desire to challenge the common perception of community and architecture. We believe that, in realizing Minas Tirith, we can create not only the most remarkable tourist attraction on the planet, but also a wonderfully unique place to live and work.
We aim to create both residential and commercial properties, allowing for sustainable growth and a high quality of life.
Residential properties will be categorized by tier, quality and size. Tiers vary from 1-5, quality varies from 2-5 stars, with the higher star denoting higher quality, and size varies from 1-4 bedrooms. A “3.4.2 property,” for instance, would be located in the 3rd tier of the city, be of a 4 star quality and have 2 bedrooms – perfect for a young family.
Follow our twitter account @realiseminas for regular updates on the project.We’re fully aware of the scale of our ambition, but we hope you realize just how special this project could be.
I for one, hope they succeed.