Hobbit house at Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata, New Zealand

© djr-photography/Shutterstoc

Beyond the last page. Tolkien Week

Most landmarks were built by history. This one was built for a story. Hobbiton Movie Set sits in Matamata, New Zealand, on a working sheep farm that caught the eye of filmmakers scouting locations for The Lord of the Rings in 1998. The hills already looked Shire-like; round doors, tidy gardens, and curling chimneys completed the illusion. The set was later rebuilt for The Hobbit films and became a destination for those eager to step into Middle-earth.

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