%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20684.6%2068.1%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%20684.6%2068.1%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cg%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M444.1%2C29.3h-17.4v14.5h17.4V29.3z%20M36.4%2C68.1l29.3-50.8V0H50.4L32.9%2C36.8L15.5%2C0H0v68.1h16.7V45.8l12.4%2C22.3H36.4z%0A%09%09%20M49.1%2C68.1h16.6V23.4L49.1%2C52.1V68.1z%20M76.6%2C68.1h45V53.8H93.3V41.6h21V27.1h-21V14.8h28.3V0.1h-45V68.1z%20M175.6%2C68.1h17.3v-68%0A%09%09h-16.5v40.3L150%2C0.1h-17.6v68h16.7V27.7L175.6%2C68.1z%20M235.8%2C14.8h15.4V0.1h-47.4v14.7H219v53.2h16.8V14.8z%20M290.3%2C45.9h-17.1%0A%09%09l7.5-15.6h2L290.3%2C45.9z%20M298.7%2C68.1h18l-32.2-68h-5.7l-32%2C68h18l3.3-7.1h27.1L298.7%2C68.1z%20M325.2%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1h-16.7%0A%09%09V68.1z%20M423.7%2C14.8h27.2V0.1H407v68h16.7V14.8z%20M462%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1H462V68.1z%20M564.8%2C34.1c0%2C10.7-7.2%2C19.2-18.5%2C19.2%0A%09%09c-11.4%2C0-18.5-8.5-18.5-19.2s7.1-19.2%2C18.5-19.2C557.6%2C14.9%2C564.8%2C23.4%2C564.8%2C34.1%20M580.6%2C34.1c0-19-14.2-34-34.3-34%0A%09%09c-20.2%2C0-34.3%2C15-34.3%2C34c0%2C19%2C14.1%2C34%2C34.3%2C34C566.4%2C68.1%2C580.6%2C53.1%2C580.6%2C34.1%20M604.8%2C20.5c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2%0A%09%09c4.4%2C0%2C6.6%2C3%2C6.6%2C6.6h14.7C631.8%2C9.1%2C625.1%2C0.1%2C611%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8%0A%09%09c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6%0A%09%09c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8C610.6%2C26.1%2C604.8%2C25.3%2C604.8%2C20.5%20M670%2C20.9h14.7C683.8%2C9.1%2C677.1%2C0.1%2C663%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6%0A%09%09c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8%0A%09%09c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8c-5.4-1.6-11.3-2.4-11.3-7.2c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2C667.7%2C14.4%2C670%2C17.3%2C670%2C20.9%0A%09%09%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
A gingerbread house is a delightful combination of food and art. Some bakers go way beyond the call of duty in their holiday creations and deserve to be seen even years after the gingerbread is dismantled (or eaten). In this list you'll see houses, mansions, skyscrapers, pop culture recreations, and even math!
1. Falling Water
This gingerbread replica of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater was an entry in Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay’s Gingerbread House Contest in 2007. Another 2007 version of the same house comes with pictures of the building process linked here. Yet another gingerbread Fallingwater was spotted at a Utah competition this year. Image by Flickr user Coley Cheng.
2. Hogwarts
Britta built this beautiful gingerbread castle that houses the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter series. See more pictures in her gallery. DeviantART member redblueworld made a gingerbread Hogwarts with more candy and icing and posted a gallery of pictures and instructions as well.
3. Grand Floridian Resort
The Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World has completed their 12th annual giant gingerbread house. The house is actually a store for baked goods -if you can't go there, you can use Disney's recipe for gingerbread cookies. Or watch a time-lapse video of the 2009 gingerbread house construction.
4. Biltmore House
The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina hosts the National Gingerbread House Competition & Display every year. Last year, one spectacular entry modeled the famed Biltmore House estate perched atop a storybook.
5. The Kremlin
Callison Architecture entered this structure, called "A Very Kremlin Christmas" in a Seattle gingerbread competition in 2007.
6. Menger Sponge
Here's a delicious project for a hands-on lesson in geometry! Instructables user fungus amungus build this fractal gingerbread structure in the shape of a Menger sponge. Best of all, the directions are detailed so you can build one, too.
7. Gingerbread Trailer Park
The Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons are holding their annual Gingerbread Trailer Park competition this Saturday night in Atlanta. The entries are judged on their creativity and “Christmas-iness”. Gingerbread is not required, but entries must be made of at least 90% edible materials. Looking through the photos of last year’s competition, I see that includes broccoli, snack cakes, pretzels, Jell-o, and donuts.
8. TARDIS
Doctor Who's time machine has been enshrined in gingerbread! This TARDIS was crafted by therru and pnr in 2006. They later posted an instruction post so you can try one yourself.
9. Chicago Botanic Garden
The annual Wonderland Express exhibit is now open at the Chicago Botanic Garden. A miniature railway runs through a gingerbread city that features prominent Chicago landmarks and, of course, plenty of botanical specimens. This picture is from 2008, but you can already see a video of this year's exhibit. Image by Flickr user Andrew Nicolle.
10. Empire State Building
New York pastry chef Mark Tasker built this replica of the Empire State Building from gingerbread for the 2007 Christmas display at the New York Botanical Garden. Image by Flickr user Wally Gobetz.
11. AT-AT
Adrienne made this huge gingerbread AT-AT from the Star Wars universe for Christmas in 2006. See more Star Wars gingerbread creations at Geekologie.
See also: 13 Weird and Wonderful Gingerbread Houses. Thanks to those who commented on the post for steering me in the directions of some of these artworks!