Posted on 09/01/2007 7:06:49 PM PDT by blam
German town wants its own Great Pyramid
By Bojan Pancevski in Berlin, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:17am BST 02/09/2007
The pharaohs may have set the standard, but German entrepreneurs are hoping to challenge Egypt's pre-eminence in monumental self-indulgence by building the world's largest pyramid.
The pyramid of tombstones planned at Dessau
They have secured €90,000 (£61,000) in state funding to assess the feasibility of building a 1,600ft tall "Great Pyramid" near the town of Dessau, in the impoverished east German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Like the original Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, this would be a place of burial. But instead of one ruler and his hangers-on, it would come to house the remains of millions of people.
The improbable plan is based on the belief that people will pay to have their ashes encased in the concrete blocks used to construct the monument. Millions of people would have to sign up to make it viable, though if the team behind it is successful, its members will be rich beyond the wildest dreams of even the most ambitious pharaoh.
Jens Thiel, one of the initiators of the project, says that becoming part of what he expects to be the greatest memorial in the world should be affordable to everyone: "Our current estimates are that a burial space in a concrete block will cost up to €700, depending on the size. Outlasting physical existence was reserved for the select few in Egypt, but this pyramid will be open to everyone. No one should be denied a place just because they can't afford it."
The blocks are expected to be up to one cubic metre in size and, given that the volume of the completed pyramid is likely to be in excess of 40 million cubic metres, it could ultimately bring in £13.2 billion.
The completed pyramid would dwarf the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, which, at about 432ft, was built as the last resting place of Pharaoh Cheops and his entourage.
Mr Thiel, an economist, teamed up with local artists and engineers to secure state funding for the development of the idea, while the rest of the money is expected to come from private investors.
The Weimar Bauhaus University has confirmed the technical feasibility of the project, and its backers are inviting architectural proposals. The international jury to select the final concept will be headed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and construction work is pencilled in to start next year.
Hundreds of people from around the world are said to have reserved a place in the memorial, which is being marketed as a "monument for all of us" and a "tomb for all people". A decorated custom memorial stone is available for those willing to pay extra.
The pyramid team expects Dessau to attract churches and other spiritual organisations, as well as visitors from around the world viewing their future grave, paying respects to loved ones, or just admiring the project.
Giza's Great Pyramid is said to have taken 20 years to build. With blocks expected to be added only as they are paid for, this one may take longer. According to Mr Thiel, the pyramid is unlikely to be much higher than 150 metres (492 ft) within two decades. "It is an open-end project that will develop perpetually, and that is the beauty of it," he said.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Original Bauhaus Building - Dessau
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
In light of minimalism, shall the 1600 ft tall pyramid be three sided?
Bauhaus Building Entrance In Dessau
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
More minimal might be a cone,..no a pole (or a Czech)?
As my Yiddishe Grandma would have said:
“From dis dey make a livink?”
Walter Pyramid In Long Beach, California
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
As crazy as this thing sounds, it might actually work.
Are the remains to be encapsulated in concrete, or their ashes used as part of the concrete?
If the latter, the thing will last a LONG time.
Gives new meaning to the phrase “pyramid scheme.”
Argh, you beat me to the punch line! :-)
And so be a cheap copy of the original. This kind of thinking annoys me. If you want to build a great mausoleum fine, but design your own style rather then ripping off someone else's idea.
Is there no artistic pride, no spark of creativity in this town?
This is preposterous! There are so many more useful things that could be done with the money.
Wait - people are willing to pay $1400 each to become part of a concrete block, that will be used to create a great pyramid...
And you don’t find that creative?
I think it is capatilism at its finest.
Frankly, I am going to steal the idea.
Who copied whom?
Voyages Of The Pyramid Builders
"The great pyramids of Egypt provide a wonderful glimpse of the artistry, skill and imagination of the ancient world. But pyramids can be found in India, China, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico and Ireland. In this provocative book, geologist Schoch (noted for his work in redating the Sphinx, which was recounted in his Voices of the Rocks) wonders how so many diverse cultures built such similar structures with similar purposes. Using geological, linguistic and geographical evidence, he contends that a protocivilization of pyramid-building peoples was driven out of its homeland, the Sundaland, which geologists believe connected Southeast Asia with Indonesia, by a rise in sea level caused by comet activity between 6000 and 4000 B.C. Fleeing their homeland, these peoples took their knowledge of pyramid building with them into Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and Peru. "
There are more pyramids in Mexico that all the rest of the world combined.
The pyramid at Caral, Peru could be the oldest pyramid in the world.
I got it, I got it!
We build a castle, and charge people to become part of it! In stead of being built on their backs, it will be built with their backs...
I know the whole idea is crazy, but I can sell it...
As it is no.
Frankly, I am going to steal the idea.
Make a ziggurat, a column, a wall, a tower or something like that. Other wise they will sue you for copyright infringement.
See #18...if I can’t OWN a castle, I will BE a castle...
LOL.
Goofy, but actually, it could sell.
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