“Game of Thrones”, without the slightest doubt, is one of the best visual series. Literally in each of his series there is a considerable number of both very picturesque landscapes (sea, mountain, desert, etc.), and city panoramas stunning in scale and magnificent in beauty.
Of course, many of them are created using computer technology and (alas!) Do not exist in reality. But some cities and landscapes are still quite real: for example, the Royal Harbor is basically the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, the Dorn Water Gardens are actually located in Alcazar (Seville, Spain), and the Tower of Joy is actually , Zafra tower (also in Spain), etc.
Well, we, having looked at a lot of photos of different palaces and castles, found 10 places that could easily become the original prototypes of “locations”, where the magnificent “Game of Thrones” takes place. Looks like it doesn't?
10. Lindisfarne Castle (England) - Moat Cailin
The ancient and almost destroyed Row Kailin fortress, which is located in one of the most strategically important places of Westeros - on the Isthmus, surrounded by black marshes and separating the South from the North (it was here where the First People once stopped the Andal's advance to the North) - this is practically one to one Lindisfarne castle in Northumberland county (England).
Lindisfarne was built in the middle of the XVI century and is located on the island of the same name. Since then, it is very well preserved. And, by the way, it was also founded as a security castle (one of the coast guard points), there was a permanent garrison of soldiers.
9. Danlus Castle (Ireland) - Pike
And the Greyjoy Pike castle (located on one of the seven Iron Islands, which has the same name - Pike) is very similar to Danlus (which means “Strong Fortress” in Irish).
The ruins of this once impressive and majestic castle in Northern Ireland are located on a 30-meter cliff above the sea and are surrounded on all sides by the same impregnable cliffs of black basalt.
Founded in the XIII century. and rebuilt in the XVI-XVII centuries., Danlus is connected to the mainland by a stone bridge. If you mentally restore its walls and raise the destroyed towers higher, you get just Pike.
8. Pena Palace (Sintra, Portugal) - Quart
Now, let's move from Westeros to the neighboring mainland - Essos. Here, on the shores of the Jade Gate (in a convenient location at the intersection of trade routes between the Summer and the Jade Seas) is the ancient and rich port of Kvart.
Remember how the Purebreds - the rulers of Quarta - were too arrogant towards the Mother of Dragons (for which she terribly avenged the city), and look at the Pena Palace, located on a cliff above the city of Sintra (Portugal). It was built quite recently - in the middle of the XIX century. If you mentally muffle its bright colors a little and imagine the desert around - this is exactly the Quart.
7. Pernstein Castle (Czech Republic) - Harrenhall
Once the largest castle in Westeros - the gloomy Harrenhall (in the Riverlands, east of Riverran), as you know, was built by Harren the Black (king of the Iron Islands) and almost to the ground burned by dragons of Eigon I Targaryen. Nevertheless, its five huge towers and in the time described in the “Game of Thrones” are visible from afar to many leagues.
Now look at Pernstein Castle, which is located in the south of the Czech Republic (or rather, in Moravia, near Brno) on a high rocky cliff. This 13th-century castle, of course, is much smaller than Harrenhall, and its walls are too light. But, again, turning on fantasy, “increasing” Pernstein about 5 times and “painting” it with dark gray shades, we get Harrenhall with its characteristic towers and transitions between them.
6. Potala Palace (Tibet) - Astapor
And back to Essos. In the Bay of Slavers, the most southern city (where the ships stopping, sailing from Quart to free cities and to Vasteras - to the west) is Astapor.
Remember the huge stepped pyramid palaces and the hissar harpy towering above them, holding a slave chain in its claws? It was here (before the appearance of Daenerys) that the Impeccable — warrior slaves — were produced on an almost industrial scale.
Now take a look at the Potala, the former residence of the Dalai Lama and the Buddhist temple complex, towering above Lhasa. Here the buildings are almost the same geometric shape, but not the color of sand.
5. Bojnice Castle (Slovakia) - Riverran
The ancestral castle of the Tully Riverran House is located northwest of King's Landing. This is a fairly reliable fortress, surrounded by a deep moat and rivers, which can very quickly make it almost impregnable.
Right after the massacre at the Red Wedding, Riverran, as you remember, was taken by Walder Frey, but during the battle in the War of the Five Kings, Brinden Tully (Black Fish) returned the castle.
And here is Bojnice - a castle in Slovakia, founded back in the XII century (and also once completely surrounded by water). From many angles, it is very reminiscent of Riverran (especially from the main gate with a small drawbridge).
4. Alhambra Palace (Spain) - Solar Spear (Dorn)
And now we will go to the southeast of Westeros, to the shore of the Summer Sea. The Solar Spear - the capital of Dorn - consists, in fact, of a fortified fortress and a city tightly adjacent to it.
In this hot land of mountains and deserts (which even the Targaryen with all their dragons could not subordinate to themselves in ancient times), the Martell family, who call themselves princes and princesses, rules.
Well, in southern Spain, in the eastern part of Granada, the residence of the Granadic emirs of the Alhambra has been perfectly preserved since the XIV century (who do not know, in most of Spain, Arabs ruled almost until the end of the 15th century). And she one to one resembles the Solar Spear.
3. Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany) - Cluster Casterley
Casterly once belonged to the family of the same name, but it has long ceased. And during the “Game of Thrones”, this beautiful castle, located on a high cliff above the Sunset Sea, is the Lannister's family nest.
Just under Casterly there are the richest gold mines (the largest in Westeros) - it is to them the Lannisters (initially not so influential and generous) owe their exaltation.
Let us return to our world: take a look at the famous Neuschwanstein - a castle built in the 19th century by Ludwig II of Bavaria. Mentally make it 2-3 times wider, and under it imagine not the forest and meadows, but the sea. Voila - Casterly!
2. Hohenzollern Castle (Germany) - Haigarden
Located southwest of Royal Harbor, Highgarden is the ancestral castle of the Tyrrel House. At one time, Eigon I Targaryen made the Tyrrels lords of Prostor, the largest and most populous region of Westeros. Therefore, they are inferior in wealth and power to the Lannisters alone. High Garden with its high walls and numerous towers is great and beautiful.
Well, now let's turn our eyes to another real German castle - Hohenzollern (formerly the former patrimony of the famous royal dynasty of the same name). In this case, there is almost no need to speculate anything - this is almost an exact copy of Highgarden.
1. Gravensten Castle (Ghent, Belgium) - Winterfell
And finally, one can not help but mention the family castle of Starks - Winterfell, the capital of the North. Actually, Winterfell standing on a hill is actually larger than what the film suggests. It has a double wall with towers, built of gray granite, and between them there is a deep moat.
And look at the castle of the counts of Flanders, which is located in the city of Ghent, - here you have the thick gray walls of the X-XII century, and powerful towers, and even a moat around (though filled with water).