Building Rivendell

“The house of Elrond was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or storytelling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”

A hidden valley. A safe and beautiful refuge in a dangerous world. A repository of knowledge, art and wisdom. That is how Tolkien describes Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings. He focuses on its beauty and magical mystery, but also on the fact that it has remained a safe haven through centuries of war.

Can it exist in the real world? What would it look like?

It probably does. Tolkien was inspired by his hikes in Switzerland. Just as his description of the Shire draws heavily on rural England, his description of Rivendell is likely based on the beautiful waterfalls of Oberland near Lauterbrunnen.

If you want to build a citadel inspired by Rivendell, natural beauty and remoteness would be the starting point. There are many hidden valleys in the Alps, the Andes, the Rocky Mountains and other places where you could build. Lake Lugano has some nice waterfalls nearby.

However what makes Rivendell truly magical are the people: the immortal elves with their music, poetry, memories and long term view. That kind of low time preference is hard to replicate in the real world, but you can probably find a decent approximation among some religious communities and perhaps some bitcoiners. The kind of art that elves would make requires the time and dedication that was put into making medieval cathedrals and monasteries.

Rivendell was also known for its guests. Weary travellers would rest and delight, but also keep the place interesting for those still involved with the outside world and its adventures.

The world is awash with grand vanity projects worth billions or trillions. Tower of Babel like grandiosities like the Saudi The Line or even Bukele’s Bitcoin City, destined to remain unfinished.

So let’s be humble. Let’s not think of megaprojects for millions of people. Let’s think of a small hotel, perhaps a small village for under a hundred people. Maybe built around an old monastery in the mountains. Focused on beauty, peace and joy. Built to be in harmony with nature and most importantly to last. To be sustainable in every way. A place to rest and remember.

A small community such as this could be created for a very small budget. A few million would buy the land. Construction could be very slow, everything is cheaper when you have decades to build. It could start as a vacation spot and slowly evolve into a permanent home. Remote workers could stay intermittently. A museum and a library could make it a place of study and scholarship.

Hobbiton was built in New Zealand and the waiting list to stay in a hobbit hole is legendary. I have no doubt that Rivendell would also draw plenty of visitors.

However no hotel chain or amusement park could possibly capture the spirit of Rivendell. A corporation would target the mass market and quick profits. The scale of this is simply too small for them. This is the kind of project crowdfunding was made for. Millions of Tolkien fans would pay a little just to have this place exist. A few would pay a lot to be able to stay there for a weekend. Some would dream of living there permanently.