Dubrovnik - Fans of Game of Thrones (GoT) noticed instantly last summer when, instead of the Croatian flag, the common flag of the Houses of Lannister and Baratheon was flying over the city walls of Dubrovnik.
It was a clear sign that the crew of the smash-hit US television show were in the city, filming scenes for the fifth season.
Since the second season, the Croatian city on the Adriatic has been used as a location for Kings-mouth and the desert city of Qarth. Prior to that Malta was used as the backdrop.
Tourists love to explore familiar movie and TV backdrops in the flesh and Dubrovnik is no exception. It even offers guided tours of the locations. But it’s just as easy to navigate around them oneself. Here are 10 locations for fantasy fans:
1 Lovrijenac: This fortress is just outside the city, right on the coast. For the show, this transforms into the residence of the king, the Red Keep. There King Joffrey celebrated his birthday and his mother Cersei demonstrated her determination with the famous quote “Power is power”. In the show, the fortress protects the city from attack: in the real world it did the same for Dubrovnik.
2 Gradac Park: Situated opposite the fortress is Gradac Park. From here you can get a wonderful view over the red roofs of the Old Town, Srd mountain and the Adriatic. The park’s small square with its fountain is where King Joffrey and his bride Lady Margaery Tyrell celebrated their wedding.
3 The bay: A small cove just outside the city serves as Blackwater Bay in the TV series. It has been used in several scenes such as Princess Myrcella Baratheon setting sail for Braavos to marry Trystane Martell, Prince Doran’s youngest son.
4 Pile Gate: On the way back to the Red Keep after Myrcella’s departure, evil king Joffrey was attacked here by his own people. The Pile Gate is one of the entrance gates in the city wall.
5 City walls: From the approximately 2km-long city wall, one has a far-reaching view over the Old Town. Here scenes with the influential eunuch Varys and the dwarf Tyrion Lannister were shot.
Dubrovnik’s small Old Town was digitally manipulated so that it could pass for the much larger Kingsmouth.
6 Minceta Tower: The tower, the highest point in the city wall, served as the House of the Undying which Daenerys Targaryen entered after her dragons were stolen. The real tower was built in the 1 400s at the height of a Turkish threat.
7 Rector’s Palace: The governor of Dubrovnik once lived here, but in GoT it houses the Spice King of Qarth. Even though in the mythology of GoT Qarth is far from the King’s Landing, in reality the palace is in the middle of the Old Town. In the show it served as the location where Daenerys met the Spice King.
8 Hotel Belvedere: From the old town, it’s a 30-minute walk to the abandoned Hotel Belvedere. Here one of the most exciting battles of the show took place, the duel between Prince Oberyn and Gregor Clegane (The Mountain.)
9 Lokrum: South-east of Dubrovnik is the island of Lokrum. From the Old Town, harbour boats travel out every half-hour. In GoT it served as the location for a party in Qarth attended by Daenerys.
10 Trsteno: The arboretum at Trsteno, 20 minutes from Dubrov-nik, served as the beautiful gardens of Kingsmouth. Under the cover of exotic trees and plants the high and mighty exchanged secrets. Another location is tucked away on the coast nearby: the plateau where regicide the Jaime Lannister trained to use a sword with his left hand.
Katja Fleischmann, dpa