One of many biggest hardships of being a fantasy and sci-fi reader is falling in love with magical cities and worlds that you’ll by no means be capable to go to. OR CAN YOU? Whereas it’s not fairly the identical as reserving a room on the Hog’s Head Inn in Hogsmeade, listed below are six magical cities and the actual world areas you may go to that (most likely) served as their inspiration.
Cair Paravel from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Cair Paravel, the capital metropolis of Narnia, is the primary magical metropolis I can keep in mind encountering in a ebook. The lengthy empty fortress situated on a peninsula that you’re first launched to in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe appeared without delay just a little spooky and but additionally very interesting as a spot to wander round and dwell in. Who wouldn’t need to dwell in a fortress by the ocean!
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Lewis seemingly drew from a number of locations for his inspiration for Cair Paravel, however one of many areas that appear to be the most probably is Dunluce Fortress in Northern Eire. With its ruins on the sting of a cliff constituted of volcanic rock, you may entry the fortress by way of a bridge. Magical!
Daevabad from The Metropolis of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
Maybe essentially the most magical metropolis on this listing, Daevabad was created by Djinn, precise magical beings in Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy. Because the capital metropolis for the world of Djinns, Daevabad is an historical place that has expanded over time to incorporate many various kinds of structure from the human world, making it a jumbled patchwork of a metropolis.
There are a number of locations that presumably impressed Chakraborty, however I feel when you needed to go to only one metropolis it must be Isfahan, Iran. Isfahan was as soon as the capital of historical Persia, stuffed with painted partitions, mosques with intricate tiling and calligraphy, and huge palaces. Vacationers from around the globe came over the as soon as bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis. You possibly can nonetheless discover many of those websites within the metropolis at the moment, together with on of the most important historic bridges within the space.
Hogsmeade from Harry Potter by J.Okay. Rowling
The one all-wizarding village in Britain, situated a couple of lengthy tunnel lengths away from Hogwarts, Hogsmeade is on my listing of prime magical cities I want had been actual. Stuffed with magical outlets, cozy pubs, it really looks as if a picturesque place one may disappear into, discover a hidden spot to learn, and by no means need to depart.
Regardless of its location in the UK, when you’d like to go to a city that almost all resembles the quaint, cozy Hogsmeade, you’ll truly need to head over to Germany! Rowling (and the film filmmakers) appeared to be impressed by small cities in Bavaria with its medieval structure and slim cobblestone streets. Although there are fairly a couple of to select from, the one that appears most just like the Hogsmeade in my thoughts is Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany.
Kos from Beasts Manufactured from Night time by Tochi Onyebuchi
The walled metropolis of Kos serves because the backdrop for Onyebuchi’s story of sin-eaters, highly effective mages, a royal intrigue, and plots to destroy town. Together with his vivid descriptions of alleyways, market stalls, palaces, and outlets, Onyebuchi makes town really feel alive in a manner that’s riveting to learn.
Whereas there aren’t any actual walled cities to wander via at the moment, there’s a place you may go to that probably served because the inspiration behind Kos. Benin Metropolis, Nigeria, was as soon as well-known for the Partitions of Benin. With over 9 miles of earthworks that made up the wall of the traditional metropolis, constructed over 600 years, the Partitions of Benin had been sadly destroyed over the course of centuries and at last obliterated by the British within the 1890s.
Crimson, White, and Black London from Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab
In Schwab’s Shades of Magic sequence, the reader encounters 4 completely different, parallel variations of London. And whereas all of them have their very own distinctive layouts, palaces, and different locations of significance, the one factor that unifies all of them is a river, the principle supply of magic in all of the worlds.
Now, you may’t truly go to Crimson, White or Black London (nobody needs to go to lifeless Black London anyway!), however you may truly go to Gray London! London, England, is really a magical metropolis, and never simply because the mighty River Thames winds via it. Directly new and previous, shiny and boring and gray, it’s simple to take London as a right as simply one other massive capital metropolis. However when you go to and stroll the streets for your self, encountering landmark after landmark, small alleys and previous doorways and lamps, you’ll start to assume that the characters in Shades of Magic are mistaken—there’s nonetheless a little bit of magic left in Gray London in any case.
Rivendell from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Maybe the primary place one thinks of when magical cities in books are talked about is Rivendell, generally known as “The Final Homely Home East of the Sea” by the beings of Center Earth. Rivendell might not have any precise magical staircases, or by no means ceasing snow, however a hidden, peaceable city hidden among the many bushes and behind a gorge sounds fairly magical to me.
Tolkien cited Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, because the inspiration for the Elven city. With even a cursory look at photos of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, it’s simple to see why this city, set in a valley of cliffs and waterfalls, had such a long-lasting impression on Tolkien years after he hiked via the Swiss Alps.
