As every true Game of Thrones fan knows, the series was filmed on various locations in Croatia.
Šibenik first appeared in Game of Thrones in Season 5, representing the city of Braavos. The UNESCO World Heritage Site, St. James Cathedral, represented the Iron Bank, the most powerful financial institution in the Free World.
Much to fans’ dismay, the Seven Kingdoms don’t actually exist in real life. However, unlike other shows, Game of Thrones did their filming in real-life places, which means you can visit where some of your favorite shots were taken.
Similar to how the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand and the Indiana Jones film series was shot all over the world, the Game of Thrones series were filmed in various parts of Croatia. And, many fans know that the historic city of Dubrovnik serves as the location for King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. By Season 5 of the show, filming had expanded as far as the central city, Šibenik.
In the series, Bravoos men are skilled sailors and swordsmen, just like the people of Šibenik, what surely added to the authenticity of the filming location. Wouldn't you like to relive the scene in which Arya Stark follows Bravoos on the square in front of the St. James cathedral? The small fisherman’s port, Mandroč, doubled as the port of Bravoos which can be seen in the second episode when Arya Stark is entering the mercantile city-state.
Šibenik was used by the show as a double for the show’s city Braavos. Braavos is the wealthiest and most powerful of the Free Cities, and is located on the northwestern end of Essos. It is here that the Faceless Men, Iron Bank and Moonsingers are found. Fortunately for you, you can visit all of these famous sites. Šibenik itself is a lovely Renaissance city.
Getting to Game of thrones Šibenik.
St. James Cathedral HBO's Game of Thrones in Croatia
Braavos’ main square is the real-life main square of the UNESCO-listed St. James Cathedral, and where Arya Stark followed Bravoosi. The cathedral serves as the House of Black and White (Arya’s new home in season 5). It’s also used as the Iron Bank in episode 9. While many in the town were excited to have the hit TV show be shot in their city, others were less thrilled. Those who weren’t so keen on the filming included church officials, who were especially upset that sacral buildings, like St. James Cathedral, was being filmed for a show that they considered to be not in keeping with Christian belief. Regardless of the discontented grumblings, the filming obviously still happened.
The church itself is said to be the world’s largest church build completely out of stone—and there aren’t any brick or wooden supports. The stone used for the church was quarried from the islands of Brač, Korčula, Rab and Krk. The master designer, Juraj Dalmatinac, of the renowned church also made sure that the church’s interior and exterior shape is exactly matching.
Construction on this masterpiece began in 1431, but the city didn’t appoint Dalmatinac until 10 years later, when he took over and increased the size of the building as well as changed the style into a Gothic-Renaissance style. The church’s domed-roof was completed after Dalmatinac died, by Nikola Firentinac, an architect who brought the building into true Renaissance style. Nearly 100 years after construction began on the church, it was finally completed in 1536.
Beyond its beautiful construction, the church holds many beautiful artifacts, portraits and architectural features that weren’t featured on the show.
St. Michael’s Fortress HBO's Game of Thrones in Croatia
Located at 70m above sea level, St. Michael’s Fortress offers you unreal views of the city of Šibenik (Braavos). It’s a hike, but if you climb all the way to the top of the fortress, you’ll be able to see beautiful views of the city, and it’s easy to transport yourself to the fictional city of Braavos. The fortress was first built in 998 as a means to protect the entrance to the bay. From inception until the 16th century, the fortress was expanded, destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. At that time, it was restored completely and transformed into the massive tourist icon it is today. St. Michael’s Fortress has become an exclusive location for unique events that have already positioned Šibenik as one of the leading concert destinations in Croatia. In addition to SHIP Festival performers, this stage has hosted concerts by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Lorde, BADBADNOTGOOD, Air, Bonobo, Kings of Convenience, Sigur Rós, Michael Kiwanuka, The National, and many others.
Mandroc
First views of Braavos are of the small fisherman’s port called Mandroc, as Arya Stark enters the fictional city-state. If you care to visit this port, be mindful that it is an actual fisherman’s port—so it will be pretty busy.
St. John’s Fortress was used in episode 7 of the season. An area at the top of St John’s fortress was set up as a fighting pit in the city of ‘Meereen’. ‘Meereen’ is the greatest of three City States in the Game of Thrones’ Bay of Dragons. The ‘Meereen fighting pits are where Jorah, as a slave, defeats a number of fighters, at the end of which he reveals his identity and presents her with a ‘gift’ (Tyrion). In real life, St. John’s fortress is located 115m above the town’s center on a hill. It was originally built in 1646 as a means to protect the town against Turkish attacks. Venetian military engineer, Atonio Leni, ordered construction to be in the form of a star. It’s rumored that construction lasted only six weeks, because the townspeople were so afraid of a
Turkish attack that they helped build the fortress.
The fortress is currently undergoing much-needed restorations, as it’s definitely seen better days, but there are rumors that the fortress’s doors may be permanently closed. Prior to the doors closing, visitors could go inside the fortress to sightsee and grab a bite to eat at the café. The upside to the fortress’s doors closing is that you can visit the site at no cost, as you’ll just be looking on the outside of the fortress. Be mindful that it is a very steep hike to get up to the top.
Although The Game of The Thrones didn’t shoot at any other locations in Šibenik, the series did still take shots through the streets. That means that you can fully immerse yourself in The Game of The Thrones shots just by taking a walk throughout the town. And, since you’re already in town to view your The Game of The Thrones locations, you might as well check out a couple of Šibenik’s other top attractions:
Šibenik City Museum: This museum is housed in the Rector’s Palace and contains artifacts from more than four different time periods.
Medieval Monastery Mediterranean Garden: If you’re on your way up to St. Michael’s Fortress, you should seriously consider making a pit stop at this garden. The recreated small medieval garden features a formal garden and café.
Šibenik is a beautiful Croatian city, so it’s no surprise that the Game of The Thrones writers decided to feature the city in its series. Use this as your guide to seeking out the spots you’ve come to love just by watching the show, but don’t be afraid to immerse yourself with the locals—you’ll never know what you might find unless you try it!
Trogir
Heading south, about 50 kilometers from Sibenik for the second step of this road trip with the small town of Trogir. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most beautiful medieval towns on the Dalmatian coast.
Founded in the 3rd century BC by the Greeks and later occupied by the Romans, Trogir is an excellent example of a medieval town built on the foundations of a Hellenistic and Roman city. It has remarkably well preserved its urban organization inherited from Antiquity and has been embellished during successive dominations by numerous buildings and fortifications. In addition to its beautiful Roman churches, there are remarkable Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period. In particular, you should visit the sublime St. Lawrence Cathedral, built in the 13th century, the symbol of the city, and the Venetian fortress of Kamerlengo to the south-west of the old town. It was built in the 15th century by the Venetians to protect the city. Although it does not appear in Game of Thrones, its style will certainly remind you of the medieval atmosphere of the series.
There’s no doubt that the City of Qarth is a well-known part of the Game of The Thrones universe – “The Greatest City that Ever Was or Will Be”. In Episode 4 of Season 2, “Garden of Bones”, Daenerys first enters this beautiful place, and even back then it made an incredible impression.
The architecture in Trogir was already so ornate and beautiful (borrowing heavily from Venetian influences) that it was the obvious choice for such a magnificent city. While it’s been used as a filming location for some other places, Game of Thrones fans will recognize it across the first six seasons.
Trogir served as the backdrop for the city of Qarth, which can be seen in different parts of Season 2 of Game of Thrones. Daenerys is hosted in a villa in the city, after its crossing of the Red Desert.
Daenerys’ flats were probably shot in the monastery and St. Dominic’s church, located in the heart of the old town.
Comments