Visitors to Colombian house find world turned upside down after pandemic

By Camilo Cohecha and Javier Andres Rojas

GUATAVITA, Colombia (Reuters) – An upside down house built in Colombia’s Guatavita, a short distance from the capital of Bogota, is capturing the imagination of visitors looking for fun following coronavirus restrictions.

Inside the house, which was designed by its Austrian owner Fritz Schall, who lives in Colombia with his family, tourists walk on ceilings where floors would normally be, while furniture is positioned beneath them.

“Everyone looked at me like I was mad, they didn’t believe what I was saying,” Schall said. “I said ‘I’m going to make an upside down house,’ and they told me, ‘Ok sir, sure, go for it.'”

Inspiration for building the house came from a trip to Schall’s native Austria with his grandchildren in 2015, where they saw a similar house.

Though the coronavirus pandemic made building the house a little difficult, it was finally finished at the start of this year, Schall said.

“The pandemic slowed us down a bit, but it’s done now and we inaugurated it three weeks ago,” Schall said.

For visitors weary of the pandemic and measures including lockdowns and restrictions on movements, the house offers light relief.

“We’ve come from a pandemic, we’ve emerged from a lockdown, so this helps people have a moment of relaxation,” visitor Lina Gutierrez said.

(Reporting by Camilo Cohecha and Javier Andres Rojas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Mark Porter)