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Das Park Hotel (Hotel in Sewer Pipes), Linz, Austria

Looks like I was wrong to think that humanity is always striving for perfection. In any case, those who choose such pipes to live in either do it out of poverty, as they operate on the "pay-what-you-want" basis, or purely out of curiosity, in search of adventure. If the former ones are people who cannot afford extra luxury, the latter group are "kings in beggars' clothes," wondering how ordinary people live. Well, if you have tried all the best things out there and got tired of perfection, of 5-star hotels, you can try this "cozy" madness, where you can feel as if you were a indigenous tribe member, whisked away to the primeval land. Yes, don't be surprised, there are no "conveniences": no toilet, no bathtub, no lunchroom, nothing but a double bed with blankets and sheets, a couple of power outlets and a lamp. The Austrian architect Andreas Strauss enthusiastically adds that all the amenities are in the next street. It is unlikely, but in fact there are a lot of people who wait for their turn to spend a night at Das Park Hotel. Therefore, in the near future, all the parks of the city will be equipped with such "rooms," mainly the parks that serve as venues for rock festivals and other events taking place in the open. These tubes are also expected in Germany in Bottrop-Ebel.

This project was first implemented in 2004 in Linz, and then moved to the nearby town Ottensheim, on the banks of the Danube. A graduate of the College of Arts, Andreas Strauss wanted to create a cost-effective, yet stylish hotel. Out of modesty he stopped short of adding "profitable," though it fits the reality more than "stylish".

Each mini-hotel is a round sewer pipe that is 2 meters in diameter and weighs 9 tons. It has tiny windows in the roof for air circulation and for a little bit of natural light.

The tubes have also received wall paintings by the Austrian artist Thomas Latzel Ochoa to create a little bit more welcoming environment. Your hotel "room" is secured by a security key code, to ensure that a luggage is safe. According to the author of the project, the rooms are sound-insulated. Guests usually pay from 5 to 50 Euros. The hotel operates from May to October. Online reservation is available, after which you'll receive pipe- room pass code.

By Lilit Khalatyan, www.biulding.am

Photos: www.terra-z.ru