Church steps ‘at risk’ after pilgrimage by Thrones fans
SPANISH tourist authorities are concerned for the preservation of a heritage site after 75,000 tourists identified it as the setting for Dragonstone in the television show Game of Thrones.
A stone staircase at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in the Basque region has appeared in several key scenes for the hit series. And although there is no castle – that was generated using computergenerated imagery – tourists have been flocking there in their thousands.
Until this summer, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe drew attention from just a small number of religious visitors. But Spanish newspaper El Pais reports that during July around 2,500 tourists a day began to descend upon the site.
At the top of the steps there is a modest church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist – but the winding steps are the main attraction as they provided the backdrop for Daenerys, Jon Snow and Tyrion when they talked of war and the threat of the White Walkers.
It was on these steps that Ser Davos famously challenged Jon about his affection for Daenerys with the memorable line: “I’ve noticed you staring at her good heart”.
Back in the real world, local tradition dictates that visitors must ring a bell that hangs above the church three times and make a wish as a reward for climbing the steps. But officials are worried that the increase in ringing could damage the bell.
They are now discussing limiting the number of tourists allowed to visit the site and charging visitors to climb the steps.
It is not the first instance of Game of Thrones tourism threatening a historic area. In 2016, Dubrovnik, Croatia, provided the backdrop for Kings Landing in the show, and saw record numbers of visitors. Just this week, the mayor of Dubrovnik revealed he was planning to cap the number of visitors to stop overcrowding.