The Puzzle of the World Puzzle Center | Roxanne & George Miller | TEDxVitosha

Key Concepts:

• Puzzle collection and display
• World Puzzle Center
• Acquisition of a castle and hotel in Italy
• Puzzle workshops and research
• Community integration

1. The Puzzle Collection's Origins and Growth:

• George and Roxan, the speakers, have a lifelong passion for puzzles, starting from early childhood.
• They met at a puzzle party in China approximately 15 years ago. Roxan initiated the party for a friend visiting puzzle factories.
• After three years of communication, George moved to Hong Kong to be with Roxan.
• Their combined puzzle collection grew to around 30,000 puzzles.
• They acquired a collection of 40,000-45,000 puzzles from a seller in the UK, necessitating the purchase of a second house in Florida for storage.

2. The Decision to Move to Italy and Acquire a Castle:

• After retirement, George and Roxan considered various locations to live, including Germany, the Netherlands, Hawaii, and Miami, Florida.
• They settled in Miami, Florida, and bought a house that they later turned into a puzzle.
• During a six-month world cruise, a visit to an Etruscan necropolis in Tarquinia, Italy, sparked the idea of housing their puzzle collection in a castle.
• Roxan found a castle for sale in Panicale, Italy, and George later found the same one.
• They visited the castle, found a puzzle hanging on the wall, and decided to purchase it.

3. The Castle and Hotel Acquisition Process:

• The purchase of the castle involved signing a contract with 174 signatures.
• Due to restrictions on altering the castle's structure (being part of the Bella Arte program), they bought an abandoned hotel next door to house the puzzles.
• They also purchased a garage between the castle and the hotel to create an indoor connection.
• The Bella Arte program allowed them to create doorways since they were pre-existing.

4. Puzzle Storage and Display Solutions:

• They acquired 87 "armados" (display cabinets) to showcase puzzles within the castle.
• The castle's thick walls (14 meters at the bottom, 3 meters at the top) provide natural humidity control, ideal for wooden puzzles.
• Smaller puzzles are displayed in cabinets mounted on the walls (without permission from the Bella Arte).
• The castle includes a library with books dedicated to puzzles, recreational mathematics, and games.

5. The Hotel and Puzzle Shelving:

• The hotel, not subject to Bella Arte restrictions, houses additional puzzle displays.
• They purchased 5,000 meters of shelving from China to store puzzles in the hotel.
• One room in the hotel is dedicated to Rubik's Cubes, containing virtually every mass-produced variant.
• Another room houses mass-produced plastic puzzles, better suited to the hotel's fluctuating humidity.

6. The World Puzzle Center's Philosophy and Offerings:

• The World Puzzle Center's philosophy is "display and play," encouraging visitors to interact with the puzzles.
• Visitors can take puzzles off the shelves, play with them, and return them to their original locations.
• The center includes libraries for puzzle research and workshops for puzzle creation.

7. Puzzle Workshops and 3D Printing:

• George has a workshop with 11 3D printers (and plans for more), allowing for puzzle creation.
• There is also a woodworking workshop and other tool-based workshops.
• Visitors can learn to make their own puzzles at the center.

8. Community Integration:

• Panicale is a small town with only 37 permanent residents in the city center.
• The speakers have been welcomed into the community and host local events, including poetry readings.

9. Invitation to Visit:

• The speakers invite the audience to visit the World Puzzle Center in Italy.
• Visitors can conduct research, play with puzzles, and explore puzzle creation.

10. Conclusion:

• George and Roxan have transformed their passion for puzzles into a unique and immersive experience at the World Puzzle Center in Italy.
• Their journey involved acquiring a vast puzzle collection, purchasing a castle and hotel, and creating a space for puzzle enthusiasts to explore, learn, and create.