Laredo Palace in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, was finished in 1886 by Manuel José Laredo, the city's mayor. Also a painter and restorer, he directed every detail himself, blending Neo-Mudéjar, Neo-Gothic, and Modernist styles and adding salvaged pieces from older Spanish buildings.
The palace shows how one person with a clear vision could shape a whole building — plans, frescoes, tiles, even a dome of green and white ceramic scales. It houses a complete copy of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible, the first of its kind in the world, making it a real stop for travelers near Madrid.
✦ One stubborn artist-mayor built a palace that still stops travelers in their tracks.