Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is a place that every Harry Potter fan should visit at least once in their lifetime. Located in Leavesden near London, the film studios have been the true home for the production of all eight films about the young wizard's adventures for more than a decade. It was here that most of the iconic scenes that have been forever etched in the hearts of viewers were created.

The history of the place is as fascinating as the films that were made there. Before being turned into a movie studio, the complex in Leavesden served as an aircraft factory during World War II and later as Rolls-Royce's production facilities. In 1994, the space was adapted for the film industry, and in 2000 work began there on the first Harry Potter film. Interestingly, initially only one film was planned to be shot, but the huge success of the production made the studio home to the entire series for the next 10 years.

Today, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London offers an unforgettable experience, giving you a look behind the scenes of film production. The tour begins with the Hogwarts Great Hall, a monumental room with a stone floor and high ceiling, where scenes of feasts and important school events were filmed. The hall was inspired by the Great Hall at Christ Church College in Oxford, but unlike the film version, the real cathedral ceiling is not enchanted to resemble the sky. During the tour, visitors can admire the original costumes of the four Hogwarts houses and the teachers' podium, where Albus Dumbledore himself sat.

One of the most impressive elements of the exhibit is a huge model of Hogwarts Castle, which was used to film exterior shots. This highly detailed miniature, 15 meters in diameter, was created by a team of 86 artists and craftsmen. Every stone, every tile and every window was handmade with extreme precision. The mock-up is so realistic that it was possible to get the effect of a real, monumental castle during filming. Interestingly, the artists used real gravel, reduced to scale, to give the paths an authentic look. The lighting of the mock-up changes periodically, showing the castle both in daylight and in the magical glow of the moon.

It's also worth mentioning the unusual details that can be seen during the tour. For example, Professor Dumbledore's study features more than 900 labeled vials, each individually designed and made by a team of artists. The Hogwarts library, on the other hand, houses thousands of books, many of which contain actual pages filled with text on magic and witchcraft, specially written for the film.

One of the most recognizable elements of the Harry Potter world is undoubtedly the Hogwarts Express - the red steam locomotive that takes young wizards from platform 9¾ at King's Cross station to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, we can take part in Hogwarts Express tours, which allow us not only to see the original train used during the filming of the movies, but also to step inside and feel like a real Hogwarts student heading off to a new school year.

The history of the train is as fascinating as its movie role. The locomotive known as the Hogwarts Express is actually Olton Hall, a GWR 4900 Hall-class steam locomotive built in 1937 for the Great Western Railway. Prior to its film career, it served on British tracks for many decades, and in 1998 was chosen to play the role of the magic train. Interestingly, the locomotive was repainted from its original green to achieve its distinctive red color. During the tour, you'll learn that the scenes on platform 9¾ were filmed at the real King's Cross station in London, although the famous cart 'passing' through the wall is now in a different location of the station than shown in the films.

The Hogwarts Express tours also feature a reconstruction of platform 9¾, where steam billowing from the locomotive creates a magical atmosphere. Visitors can enter the train's compartments, which have been arranged to depict various scenes from the series' subsequent films. In each compartment you can see original props and costumes related to the characters' journeys. Of particular interest is the compartment where Harry, Ron and Hermione first met - the moment that launched one of the most famous friendships in literary and cinematic history.

Another remarkable place to visit as part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, is Hogwarts Bridge - a wooden covered bridge that connected different parts of Hogwarts Castle. This bridge first appeared in the third installment of the series - 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' - and became a distinctive feature of the magic school's landscape. Interestingly, the bridge did not appear in J.K. Rowling's books, and was added by the filmmakers to make it easier for characters to move between different parts of the castle and create more dynamic transitions between scenes.

Hogwarts Bridge is an example of the extraordinary craftsmanship of the set designers and set builders. It was designed to blend in perfectly with the gothic architecture of the castle, while adding to its unique character. The bridge became particularly memorable thanks to a dramatic scene from the last installment of the series - 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2', when it was destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts. During the tour, you can walk across a replica of the bridge and feel like a student traversing the grounds of the school of magic.

It's also worth mentioning fascinating tidbits about the bridge's construction. To achieve the effect of old, centuries-old wood, set designers used special techniques for aging materials. Each plank was individually treated to give it an authentic look. In addition, the bridge was designed to withstand varying weather conditions during months of outdoor filming. This attention to detail is characteristic of the entire production of the Harry Potter films and is one of the reasons why the world depicted in the films seems so real and convincing.

Diagon Alley is one of the most magical places in the Harry Potter universe - a secret shopping street hidden in the heart of London, accessible only to wizards and witches. At the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London you can walk through a full-scale reconstruction of this famous street, admiring the facades of stores such as Ollivanders - makers of the finest wands since 382 BC, Slug and Jigger's Pharmacy, and Weasley's Magical Jokes.

The story behind the creation of the movie's Diagon Alley is fascinating. It was inspired by the real London street Cecil Court, located near Leicester Square, and Leadenhall Market, an indoor Victorian market in central London. J.K. Rowling recalled in interviews that she imagined Diagon Alley as 'a place where you can buy dragon livers and owls.' The film's set designers transformed this vision into reality, creating a winding street full of unusual details.

Each store on Diagon Alley was designed with extraordinary attention to detail. For example, more than 17,000 custom-designed wand boxes have been placed in the display window of Ollivander's wand store. Each box has been hand-aged and uniquely labeled. The Weasleys' store, on the other hand, features dozens of magical gadgets and jokes, many of which were specially designed and made for the film, even though most of them appear on screen for only a few seconds.

It is interesting to note that during the filming of scenes on the Diagon Alley, the film crew had to create special weather effects. To achieve the right atmosphere, fog machines were often used, as well as special lights to imitate the sun's rays breaking through London's clouds. This attention to atmosphere has made Diagon Alley one of the most recognizable and fan-beloved locations in the entire series.

Hogwarts Castle is undoubtedly the most iconic element of the Harry Potter world - a majestic school of magic hidden in the Scottish mountains, where young wizards and witches learn to control their magical abilities. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London you can admire an impressive mock-up of the castle, which was used to film exterior shots in each of the eight films in the series.

Creating the cinematic Hogwarts was an extremely complex process. This is because the castle is not a single building, but an amalgamation of many real locations in Britain. The facade and some parts of the castle were inspired by Alnwick Castle in Northumberland - one of the largest inhabited castles in England, which dates back to the 11th century. In contrast, some corridors and cloisters were filmed in Gloucester Cathedral, whose construction began in 1089. The Great Hall was inspired by the Great Hall at Christ Church College in Oxford, and the Hogwarts library was inspired by the Bodleian Library, also in Oxford.

However, it was the mock-up of the castle at Warner Bros. studios that helped bring all these elements together into a cohesive whole. This extraordinary structure, which is one of the largest architectural miniatures ever built for a film, was created with the participation of 86 artists and craftsmen. Every element of the castle was made with extreme precision - from the stone walls to the smallest windows. To give the mock-up an authentic look, the artists used real materials, such as sand, gravel and metal, only on a reduced scale.

It is worth mentioning the fascinating fact that the mockup of Hogwarts Castle evolved over the course of the filming of subsequent movies. With each new installment, new elements such as the Astronomy Tower and the Hogwarts Bridge were added to reflect the changing narrative. This evolution is evident when comparing shots of the castle from the first and last films in the series. By touring the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, you can see this impressive mock-up in a specially designed room where changing lighting simulates the transition from day to night, showing the castle at different times of the day.