A Russian cement company is building a life-size recreation of Winterfell
Want to visit a life size recreation of Winterfell from Game of Thrones? Well, you’ll have to travel to Russia to do it, but it’s possible. Specifically, you’ll have to travel to Yekaterinburg, where the Yekaterinburg Cement Company is using its industrial 3D printer to build a full-scale reproduction of the Stark family home.
According to the company, the project will be complete by the end of this month. Rinat Brilin, the Yekaterinburg Cement Factory manager, is excited.
"Why this castle? First of all, it is, in my view, very beautiful. And it also demands the use of many new technologies to construct that simpler buildings don’t require."
The Winterfell set requires dozens of craftspeople to construct, to say nothing of what the “actual” Winterfell took to build. But Brilin’s version requires only three specialists. The trio is led by a computer programmer in charge of injecting a steady flow of quick-drying cement into sections of a pre-constructed steel frame that matches the dimensions of the 3D blueprint. The huge 3D printer operates much like a typical desktop 3D printer. It extrudes material and fabricates an object layer by layer.
Brilin told the Russian TV station Telekanal 360 that Winterfell was the perfect choice to show off his Cement Factory’s newest technology. After it’s all done, he hopes to leave it up as a tourist destination, although he doesn’t say for how long.
A trip to Yekaterinburg would be a big commitment for many GoT fans. But if the replica is done just right—if fans could stand where Bran fell from the Broken Tower, where Theon rallied his Ironborn, where Wylis fell down and became Hodor—it might just be worth it. Also, it would be cool if the interior crypt was included. Just saying.
In any case, Bran the Builder would be impressed. If you like, here’s the Russian news report on the subject. I can’t understand what they’re saying, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it.