Architects Are Crowdfunding Lord Of The Rings' City Minas Tirith For $2.9B

Here is a crowdfunding campaign to rule them all. A group of UK architects have begun an IndieGoGo campaign to raise roughly $2.9 billion that will be used to build a real life Minas Tirith, the beautiful, and very much fictional city from The Lord of the Rings. The group, which is led by Jonathan Wilson, is made up of architects and structural engineers who are clearly huge LotR fans. Their goal is build the fully livable city into the side of a mountain, as it was depicted in the LotR films.

"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," they say on their IndieGoGo project page. Should the group actually get the funding, their plan is construct a multi-tiered city with both commercial and residential real estate.

A specific location for the city hasn't been determined yet, but the architects say they are scouting locations in southern England. Should they be able to start next year as hoped, they plan to finish the city by the year 2023.

As of now, the project has raised over £52,000 (about $82,000) from 1,300 backers, and there's another 47 days to go. Backers are guaranteed to get their money back if the project isn't funded, as is typical for crowdfunding websites.

Should you be thinking about contributing to a real life Minas Tirith, some of the donation tiers include $5 for a follow on Twitter, $40 for a "free" tour when the city is finished, and $156,000 to be granted an official Lordship or Ladyship of the city, while an incredible $2.7 million donation will get you a 100-year lease on one of the city's four-star penthouses.

SOURCE IndieGoGo