Matching 50 Game of Thrones characters with 50 European countries

Slovakia: Gendry

If there’s one thing Slovakia is best known for, it’s the country’s many castles. The official count here is 184 castles and 425 chateaux. And Slovakia is a mid-sized European country. Basically, there’s a castle at every turn, and if you’re a citizen in Slovakia you’ve probably spent your whole life looking up at one.

Gendry of Flea Bottom can relate to that feeling. He grew up in the shadow of the Red Keep, literally and figuratively. As the secret bastard of King Robert Baratheon, his whole childhood was colored by his ties to royalty, even if he didn’t realize it. As an adult, this background comes into sharper focus, and Gendry must reconcile who he grew up to be with his royal lineage. And wasn’t it fun to see him finally swinging that war hammer?

Slovakia is also home to the oldest marathon in Europe. The Kosice Peace Marathon is actually the second oldest in the world, after the Boston Marathon. Gendry famously ran back to Eastwatch after wights attacked Jon Snow and his group in “Beyond the Wall,” so obviously Slovakia is the place for him.