The Citadel, in the Game of Thrones universe, is located in Oldtown, a city in the Reach region of Westeros.
The world of Game of Thrones captivated many, with its intricate plots and fascinating locations. One such place, the Citadel, holds a significant role in the story, serving as a center of learning. But where is the citadel game of thrones, exactly? This question often arises among fans, seeking to pinpoint its presence on the map of Westeros.
It’s not a far-flung, secret place; its in plain sight, part of a major city. The Citadel is situated within the ancient and respected city of Oldtown. A hub of knowledge and the training ground for Maesters.
Where is the Citadel in Game of Thrones?
If you’ve been watching or reading Game of Thrones, you’ve probably heard of the Citadel. It’s a super important place, a bit like a giant school and library all rolled into one! But where exactly is this place in the world of Westeros? Unlike many locations shown in the series, the Citadel isn’t somewhere that armies march to battle, or where kings hold court. Instead, it is a place of learning, tucked away in the south of Westeros. Let’s dive into the details of the Citadel’s location, what it’s like, and why it matters so much to the Game of Thrones story.
The Citadel’s Geographic Location: Oldtown
The Citadel isn’t located in a big city like King’s Landing or Winterfell. It resides in Oldtown, one of the oldest and largest cities in Westeros. Oldtown is situated in the southwest region of the continent, along the banks of the Honeywine River, where it meets the Whispering Sound. Imagine a place with grand buildings, old cobblestone streets, and a constant hum of activity, not from battles, but from scholars, scribes, and students – that’s Oldtown. This location is significant because it is far removed from the political turmoil and often chaotic events of other Westerosi cities. This allows the Citadel to remain a place of neutral learning. The map below shows the location of Oldtown in relation to other key locations in Westeros:
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Why Oldtown? The Citadel’s Purpose and History
Oldtown’s selection as the Citadel’s home wasn’t random. This ancient city has a rich history, making it the perfect place for a center of knowledge. It was originally settled by the First Men and later became a significant port city, and a center for trade. Over time, its wealth allowed it to establish a magnificent and well-funded center for education, making the city a prime location for the Maesters. The Citadel’s main purpose is to train maesters, who are learned men that serve as advisors, healers, and educators for the lords and ladies of Westeros. Maesters don’t just study medicine, they also learn history, mathematics, economics, and more. This makes them really important figures, providing crucial services across the Seven Kingdoms. The Citadel’s neutrality was also important to the establishment of a secure center of learning. Lords and kings may fight, but the maesters remain dedicated to their roles and their search for knowledge. The decision to place the Citadel away from the battles of the crown was intentional and vital to its functioning.
The Role of Maesters and Their Training at the Citadel
Maesters are not just academics; they are essentially the scientists, doctors, and advisors of Westeros. They are vital to the smooth functioning of every castle and settlement. Here’s a breakdown of their role and training:
- Extensive Education: Maesters undergo years of rigorous study in a wide range of subjects, including healing, history, mathematics, astronomy, and even raven-handling.
- Chain of Knowledge: The maesters each wear chains that symbolize their knowledge. Different links are made of different metals and represent mastery of a particular field of study.
- Neutral Advisors: They are not tied to any particular house, so they can offer unbiased advice. This neutrality is crucial to their reliability and the services they provide.
- Service to Lords and Ladies: Upon finishing their training, Maesters swear an oath to serve their assigned lord or lady faithfully.
- Guardians of Knowledge: Maesters are the caretakers of books, scrolls, and other historical records, which are kept within the vast Citadel libraries. They believe in preserving knowledge, which is a valuable asset.
Visualizing the Citadel: Architecture and Atmosphere
The Citadel is a massive complex of buildings, and it’s much more than just a single school. It is a grand structure with many separate sections. It has libraries with endless shelves of ancient texts, workshops for crafting tools, and gardens for growing medicinal plants. Here’s a picture of what the Citadel looks like in the series:
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Key Features of the Citadel
- The Library: This is the heart of the Citadel, a vast repository of knowledge. It’s filled with countless scrolls, books, and maps covering everything from ancient history to the latest scientific discoveries. Imagine a library that has more books than you could read in a lifetime – that’s what the Citadel library is like.
- The Scribe’s Rooms: These are the places where maesters and scholars copy and translate texts. It’s a place that is full of the scratching of quills and the smell of ink.
- The Healing Rooms: Maesters train and practice healing at this space. This is where they learn about medicine and treating the sick and injured.
- The Rookery: The Citadel keeps a large number of ravens that serve as messengers. They are used to send messages to all corners of Westeros. The rookery is a very busy place, filled with the sounds of ravens taking off and landing.
- The Sept: Despite their focus on logic and knowledge, the Citadel has a sept, which is a place for those who follow the Faith of the Seven.
The Citadel in the Game of Thrones Plot
The Citadel plays a role in the Game of Thrones storyline. Several characters interact with the location throughout the series, even though the Citadel is far removed from the power plays of the seven kingdoms. Let’s examine how the Citadel is shown in the show.
Samwell Tarly’s Journey and the Citadel
One of the most notable characters connected to the Citadel is Samwell Tarly, a member of the Night’s Watch. He comes to the Citadel to train as a maester and look for answers about the White Walkers. His journey to the Citadel shows us how rigorous and detailed maester training is. His time spent reading the old books and delving into secret histories is crucial to understanding important aspects of the series.
- Seeking Knowledge: Sam’s main goal is to find a way to defeat the White Walkers. He spends a lot of time in the Citadel’s library looking for information.
- Rigorous Training: Sam’s training is difficult. The demands placed upon him are quite high, and it highlights the dedication that Maesters require.
- Discovery: It is in the Citadel’s library that he finds important secrets about dragons and the White Walkers, which helps the battle against the Night King.
- The Obstacles: Sam’s time at the Citadel shows that it is not without limitations. The institution can be resistant to new ideas and sometimes slow in sharing their wealth of information.
The Citadel’s Significance to Westeros
The Citadel’s impact on Westeros goes beyond just training maesters. It serves as a symbol of stability and knowledge in a world often plagued by chaos and war. The Citadel is not only an important place of education, but also an archive that preserves historical knowledge. Here’s why the Citadel is so vital:
The Citadel’s role as a Center of Learning
- Preserving History: The Citadel is a repository of all of the known history of Westeros. This allows the Citadel to act as a sort of collective memory, recording past events and sharing knowledge with future generations.
- Scientific Advancement: The maesters research diseases and create medicinal solutions that help all of Westeros. They also study the stars and try to figure out the patterns of the universe.
- Neutrality: The Citadel remains neutral in the political struggles of the Seven Kingdoms. This allows the maesters to serve all of the people, even during conflicts.
- Education for All: Even if not all of the people of Westeros can enter into its halls, the knowledge that the maesters gain ultimately benefits the general population.
The Citadel: Beyond the Show
The Citadel plays a large role in George R.R. Martin’s novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, upon which the Game of Thrones show is based. While the show had to condense and change aspects of the story for TV, the Citadel’s core purpose remained constant in the show.
In the books, there is more details about the maesters’ studies, and the challenges they face in keeping their knowledge. More depth is given to the internal struggles of the Citadel, and the difficulties that come with preserving and passing on information. In both versions of the story, the Citadel’s role is crucial to providing information to the characters, and it also emphasizes the importance of learning, and passing it to the future.
The Citadel, is far more than just a location, it’s a place of learning that embodies the pursuit of knowledge. This place impacts all of Westeros, and is pivotal to understanding the world of Game of Thrones.
In summary, the Citadel is located in Oldtown, in the southwest of Westeros, a city far removed from the battlefields and political intrigue of other cities. The Citadel is a grand place of learning, full of books, studies, and dedicated scholars. It’s a place where knowledge is preserved, studied, and shared. Its impact on the world of Game of Thrones shows us how crucial education and learning can be, even in a world filled with dragons, magic, and great wars.
The Citadel Samwell Tarly – Game of Thrones: Season 7 Histories & Lore
Final Thoughts
The Citadel’s true location is fictional, existing within the world created by George R.R. Martin. It is not a real-world place you can visit.
The show Game of Thrones depicted the Citadel as a grand structure in Oldtown. This is a city within the fictional realm of Westeros. So, the question of ‘where is the citadel game of thrones’ points to a place found solely in a story, a fascinating fictional creation.
