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These Architects Are Fundraising to Build a Real-Life Lord of the Rings City

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Attention Lord of the Rings fans: Minas Tirith might be real — eventually.

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 visualized by Peter Jackson in his cinematic version of Lord of the Rings.

The architects ran the numbers and realized they would need approximately £1.85 billion (about $2.82 billion USD) to fully fund the project. Any leftover money would be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the new city of Minas Tirith and was projected to last until 2053. On their Indiegogo page, the team wrote, “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, which is as steep a climb as the stairs of Minas Tirith will be when the project reaches completion. To encourage donation, they’ve set up some attractive rewards. If you donate £100,000 ($155,800 USD) you earn the title of Lordship or Ladyship of the City, while a mere £3 (around $4.70 USD) donation gets you a follow on Twitter. At the time of publication, the Indiegogo campaign had raised more than £16,000 ($24,000 USD), but still had 48 days to raise the rest.

PHOTOS: See the 13 Actors Who Play the Dwarfs in 'The Hobbit'

Fili, Dean O'Gorman
Fili - Dean O’GormanWarner Bros.; Anita Bugge—WireImage—Getty Images
Kili - Aidan Turner
Kili - Aidan TurnerWarner Bros.; Gregg DeGuire—WireImage/Getty Images
Oin - John Callen
Oin - John CallenWarner Bros.; Tschiponnique Skupin—Geisler-Fot/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Gloin - Peter Hambleton
Gloin - Peter HambletonWarner Bros.; Dave J Hogan—Getty Images
Dwalin - Graham McTavish
Dwalin - Graham McTavishWarner Bros.; David Livingston—Getty Images
Balin - Ken Stott
Balin - Ken Stott Warner Bros.; Ben A. Pruchnie—Getty Images
Bifur - William Kircher
Bifur - William Kircher Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images
Bofur - James Nesbitt
Bofur - James Nesbitt Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images
Bombur - Stephen Hunter
Bombur - Stephen Hunter Warner Bros.; Joel Ryan—Invision/AP
Dori - Mark Hadlow
Dori - Mark Hadlow Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images
Nori - Jed Brophy
Nori - Jed BrophyWarner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images
Ori - Adam Brown
Ori - Adam Brown Warner Bros.; Anita Bugge—WireImage/Getty Images
Thorin Oakenshield - Richard Armitage
Thorin Oakenshield - Richard ArmitageWarner Bros.; Jason Merritt—Getty Images

Read next: Watch a Supercut of Every Onscreen Death in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

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