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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

Dutch Man Builds Castle: Self-taught builder raises Romanesque fortress; now a Friesland tourist draw

Gregorius Halman ran a clothing-rental business in Zwolle, the Netherlands, and had no formal training in architecture or construction. He planned for a Roman-inspired structure with rounded walls, towers and curved architectural details, with local authorities taking about two years to approve the proposal, and construction beginning in 1992 in Blesdijke, a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. Halman used reclaimed bricks from demolished houses and roads, and the resulting structure, called Olt Stoutenburght, has a basement, four above-ground floors and a glass dome, according to the SPACES Archives .

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