Attention LOTR Fans: Architects Are Fundraising to Build a Real-Life Minas Tirith

They just need a couple of billion to do it.

A self-professed “ambitious team of architects and structural engineers” has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the necessary funds to build the fictional city created by J.R.R. Tolkein and visualised by Peter Jackson in his cinematic version of Lord of the Rings.

The architects ran the numbers and realised they would need approximately £1.85 billion to fully fund the project. Any leftover money would be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the new city of Minas Tirith. The team took to their Indiegogo page to state, “We believe that, in realising 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.”

The team has given themselves 60 days to raise the cash. To encourage donation, they’ve set up some attractive rewards. If you donate £100,000 ($212,150 AUD) you earn the title of Lordship or Ladyship of the City, while a mere £3 (around $6.35 AUD) donation gets you a follow on Twitter.

At the time of publication, the Indiegogo campaign has raised more than £76,977 ($163,306.69), with just 44 days left to make this beautiful dream a reality. It's going to be a pretty steep climb (heh) - in the meantime we invite you to close your eyes and imagine riding into Minas Tirith on horseback, cradled in Gandalf's firm yet gentle embrace.