Seven fake sights. How not to disappoint tourists
When you hear the names of cities and streets in a popular movie or a famous book, you want to see them yourself. Even in the case of fiction, tour guides, guides and local authorities sometimes come up with a legend to keep travelers from being disappointed.
Juliet's Balcony, Italy
A popular tourist spot, Juliet allegedly stood on the balcony when Romeo confessed to her love. The legend about this appeared because of the feature film and theatrical productions, in the original text of Shakespeare the word "balcony" is not mentioned: Juliet's confession was heard on the terrace.
Bridge over the River Kwai, Thailand
The famous bridge of the Burma Railway. In fact, one of the attractions of Thailand - a wooden bridge - was about a hundred meters higher upstream and has not survived. The one that was shown to the tourists now was done later. Fans of the film “Bridge over the River Kwai” directed by David Lean may be disappointed that the river is called Meklong, and the picture was shot in Ceylon.
Sherlock Holmes House, United Kingdom
Tourists queue to enter the museum of detective genius at 239 Baker Street. Why not 221B Baker Street, where Holmes lived? There's no such address.
Dracula Castle, Romania
Bran Castle in the border region of Muntenia and Transylvania, is shown to tourists as a den of vampires. He stands alone on top of a cliff, and perfectly shows the romantic story of the immortal count. According to historians, the building was never owned by Prince Vlad III Tepes – the prototype of the legendary character.
Sleepy Hollow, USA
Slipey Hallow Cemetery in New York State, USA
The popularity of Washington Irving’s novel The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is said to have prompted North Tarrytown authorities to change the name of the settlement and spur tourist interest. Almost two hundred years later, a wave of adoration began, it was spurred by a gothic horror film by Tim Burton.
Piz Gloria Restaurant, Switzerland
In the sixth James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, a special agent finds a secret laboratory in the Alps where a deadly virus is being developed. In reality, the restaurant was specially built for filming with funds from the budget of the picture.
Shangri-La, China
Gandan Sumtseling Monastery, Shangri-La, China
China's Zhongdian County was named Shangri-La in 2001 after a fictional country from James Hilton's fantastic book The Lost Horizon.