Bulgaria and Romania: Harry Potter’s Balkan Haunts
BalkanTravellers.com
The list, mostly consisting of spots around the UK, but some international destinations as well, contains 13 locations and their function in the Potter world and the Muggle, meaning non-magical, world.
In the former, Bulgaria is described as “home to Durmstrang Institute’s wizarding student and international Quidditch champion, Viktor Krum.”
Under the Muggle world, however, the publication highlights the yearly spiritual dance of the White Brotherhood in the Rila Mountain’s Seven Lakes region – a real-life ritual that can hardly be described as devoid of magic. The spectacle of over a thousand people dressed in white robes, moving slowly around in huge concentric circles is so impressive, according to Skyscanner.net, that Michael Palin visited the area and filmed it for his BBC documentary series, New Europe.
Romania is also full of enchantment, both in the Harry Potter World and in the Muggle one. In the former, the “eastern European country is home to the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary, a preservation area created for the protection and study of dragons. The largest dragon sanctuary in the Potter universe, it was the preferred supplier of dragons for the Triwizard Tournament.”
In reality, Romania – and especially its Transylvania region, is known for its spooky, supposedly haunted castles. According to the publication, the country has been associated with vampires and the supernatural ever since Bram Stoker used the country as the setting for his Dracula novel.
The remaining 11 destinations are spots, regions and parts of the UK, as well as Orlando in Florida, Ireland, Norway and Australia. Some of them include: London’s Kings Cross Station, featuring the famed Platform 9 ¾ (now erected in reality as well); Goathland in North Yorkshire; Alnwick Castle in England; the London Zoo; Scotland; and Wales.
Read more about Bulgaria and Romania on BalkanTravellers.com
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Photogalleries
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A Perfect Shot
Koprivshtitsa Fair, Bulgara. Photographs by Neva Micheva
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs
