Game of Thrones Architecture

View from the Sea - Image via Game of Thrones Wiki

Just after we recovered from the Red Wedding, they amazed us with the Purple!
These are the events of Game of Thrones that keep us in front of our screens, making memorable moments...
But what makes us come back?
George RR Martin, as sadistic as he is, as coldly as he kills his characters, bewitches us with the ungodly depth with which he builds his world.
Many of us have quickly grown fond of the characters, something simple with the quality of this avid short story writer.
Although... it's not only the characters that hipnotize us, it's the symptoms of the world builder's disease, something of which the author draws upon - The in-depth descriptions of religion, food, customs and all the different settings created in between the paragraphs.
One question remains lingering in the air, as much as the stench of Flea Bottom: What makes this world, the architecture, the landscapes so unique and enthralling to the viewer?



Game of Thrones Intro - Image via HBO

As fascinating as the worlds of fantasy are, these usually base themselves upon the repetition of the medieval times of long ago. But, as we all know, the world of Game of Thrones is much more complex. There is a charm in the details and a variety towards the sets, so much so that it becomes near-impossible to describe them all.
Beyond the exuberant churches, the colossal castles, the deadly moats and the war-ready great walls, there are icy fields, mediterranian markets, forrests without end, a stunning sea and, well, some very dirty streets filled with even dirtier people walking around.



Grand Sept of Baelor - Image via HBO

The capital of this world, King's Landing, is our first stop into our journey through the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Placed in the middle of the small continent, in the Crownlands, next to the Blackwater river, between the land and the sea, surrounded by walls and fortified even more in it's highest landrise in what is called the Red Keep, the king's quarters and the place that holds the coveted Iron Throne!
As many medieval cities, it has the wall-city-palace scheme and, as such, also has big social contrasts between them.
Surrounding the main streets of the city you can find the slums of Flea Bottom, a maze of streets and alleys with such a potent stench that it invades houses long beyond the city walls. The majority of the populace resides in this area, excluding only the richest folk which live in the northern corner of the square-shaped capital, next to Rhaenys hill.

Map of the Red Keep - Image via Joanna Lannister

Focusing even more on the heart of King's Landing, the Red Keep, we stumble across an architecture almost all computer generated, made to fit our screens with the same girth as the books foretold. It's counterpart in our real world, Lovijenac Fortress, is located near Dubrovnik atop a 37-meter tall rock with an entrance with an interesting inscription that translates as: "Liberty cannot be sold for all the gold in the world.", which makes us think about the Lannisters' fate in the coming future. Previously all the filming took place in the isle of Malta but now, along with north ireland, it's one of the filming crew's main homes.
The Red Keep offers space, luxury and conforts at an epic scale, the same as the elven palaces of Tolkien even. It has hidden passages, towers with astounding views and construction based on a type of gothic architecture in an attempt of reaching the skies!
Describing this area, we have the high Tower of the Hand in the center, with the armaments and holdings of the family of the Hand of the King, the Great Throne Room by the side, a colossus that could hold up to a thousand spectators and the Citadel Maegor on the other, the castle within the castle, surrounded by a moat and spears, connected only by a sturdy drawbridge.
The Great Hall, the throne room, holds the famous throne with it's thousand melted blades of kings defeated by the celebrated king of Westeros, Aegon Targaryen. To properly set the mood for the space there are massive columns, red and golden stained glass and a marble flooring reminiscent of the Roman Empire.
The Tower of the Hand is an imposing monolith that presents itself as a skyscraper would, ready for the official buisness of the Hand, the effective prime-minister to the king. Each division has it's own balcony and it's structure could hold even the deadliest of cannon fire. The only drawback to this impressive building is it's proximity to it's own charming king...



Fading light over the Old City – Image © David

Described in so much detail, the city became almost impossible to summarize, even the show itself needs many different blissful countries of our globe to paint the picture of this impressive capital.
We're talking about the walled city of Mdina, west of the Malta isle, bathed with the mediterranean salt and built as many centuries or more than the imagined city itself! One walk through the streets of this city makes us enter a dream of times long forgotten and other literary trips ready to be written.

The great gate of Mdina is used as the entrance for Catelyn Stark and Rodrik Cassel during their investigations about her son Bran. Another grand entrance is Fort Ricasoli, used as the main gate for the Red Keep. This gate then guides the characters of the show into the digitally remastered and phisically present San Anton Palace, a 16th century palace and the official residence of Malta's own president!
Whilst these locations bring out the sun-bathed settings for the times spent in the Red Keep, the San Angelo Fort works as it's dungeons. Located in the fortified city of Birgu, at the center of the Grand Harbour, the origin of this castle is unknown, having pre-historic and classical remains long after being a residence for the Knights of Malta for centuries.

And in contrast with the Red Keep, but still in this imaginary capital, we have the Great Sept of Baelor, in another fortification in Malta - the Manoel Fort in the isle of Manoel, next to the port of Marsamxett, built between 1723 and 1755 by the Knights of Malta. As we know, it's better not to reveal the famous happenings in the series that happen involving Ned Stark and Jofferey here! Spoilers!



Dominican Priory in Dubrovnik – Image © Lawrence OP

Between cloisters and relics of magestic stone we feel the same breeze of the mediterranian sea from under our noses whilst walking through Dubrovnik in this sunny country. The choice makes sense given the fortifications in the peninsula and the iconic landscapes that surrounds it!
Many of the filmings were made in the Hotel Belvedere, an abandoned hotel with a grandiose terrace with stunning views of the sea, empty pools and memories waiting to be explored by visitors.
How could we forget the iconic conversations between the Lannister family or Ned Stark's confession to Cersei, right here in this supposed Red Keep?



Arboretum Trsteno by Pudelek - Image via Wikipedia

Having said all that, this isn't the only Croatian setting in the show. Split was also a target ripe for a fantasy makeover!
For some of the most memorable walks and duels from the more recent episodes, the Lovrijenac Fortress and the Trsteno Arboretum were used, filling our screens with the lush green only Split could have. Between the exotic plant life, the Gothic, Renaissance and Barroque styles, there are guided tours on foot for the more interested, where one can see themselves caught between the sneaky antics of Petyr Balish or the battle of Blackwater Bay!

With Mdina for the panoramic views and exteriors, Dubrovnik for more of the same and some interiors here and there, we're only missing Morocco for it's streets, markets and views for the capital and even Daenerys' conquests along Essos. More details to come about it when we'll talk about other Game of Thrones lands!



The Light and Shadow of a Stone - Image © Sayid Budhi

And so here we close the first part of the description of this complex world!
We'll be back for more treachery-ridden landscapes!