HARRY Potter's world has come to Madrid – the magic of Hogwarts and the adventures of the young wizard and his friends have been brought to life in the streets of the capital to coincide with the première of part two of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film series, The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Whilst J K Rowling's work hits the silver screen, life-sized props from the original eight-part Harry Potter series adorn the centre of Madrid – outside Atocha station, for example, the famous wall of Platform 9¾ with a trolley full of luggage halfway through has been built on the pavement.
Four other prominent locations – the Botanical Gardens and the outside of the National Library, the Natural Sciences Museum and Real Madrid CF's Santiago Bernabéu stadium – each host magical artefacts representing a well-known scene from the legendary fantasy saga.
Madrid city council, which took the above photograph, wants the public to associate some of the films' most iconic moments with parts of the capital in their minds, so these places remain in their memories.
Also, it hopes to encourage more people to go to the cinema, since film audiences in Spain took a nose-dive after IVA on tickets shot up to 21% in September 2012 – something the current national government is seeking to reverse.
