Discover Gondor’s White City, Minas Tirith™

In the expansive and epic world of Middle-earth™, certain locations have achieved an iconic status, and Minas Tirith™, the City of Kings, is one of them.
 
Built directly into the side of the White Mountains, this majestic city is the heart of the world of men and forms the final stronghold against Sauron’s forces.
 
Now, this legendary location has been transformed into a large-scale LEGO® set that is truly fit for a King!
 
To find out more, we spoke to François Zapf, a Senior Model Designer at the LEGO Group, who was part of the team that brought this set to life.

Welcome to the White City

“The Lord of the Rings™ movies hold a very special place in my memories,” says François. “I eagerly awaited each new release every year, and there was no way I would have missed them. Very few movies can claim to have had that level of anticipation and emotional impact on me.”

François wasn’t alone in this, of course. The movie trilogy was beloved by millions of people worldwide and continues to be loved to this day.

Since the release of the movies, we’ve launched many LEGO sets based on Middle-earth, including large-scale builds of key locations like Rivendell™ and Barad-dûr™.

François explains why Minas Tirith felt like the next logical choice.

“Minas Tirith is the great missing location among the iconic places of Middle-earth in LEGO set form,” he says. “It was the right choice creatively, but adapting such a gigantic city into a LEGO set was an enormous challenge.”

We asked him more about the challenges.

“The most important aspect to get right was the overall silhouette,” he says. “And we developed some satisfying geometric solutions for the circular walls. For example, two 2x4 wedge plates joined together create the same angle as an 8-15-17 Pythagorean triangle. We used this relationship to build the geometry of the outer wall, allowing it to reconnect seamlessly with the grid at both ends, no easy task with rectangular bricks. We applied similar techniques in the upper levels, again creating angled walls that reconnect into the system and ensure a very stable structure, even with the large open section at the back for the throne room.”

After finally arriving at solutions to some tricky problems, the set began to take shape.

We asked François to take us on a tour of what we can expect.

“The outer walls and main gate are built at minifigure scale, while the inner levels are built in microscale, allowing us to represent all seven tiers of the city, including the citadel and the tower. This creates a forced-perspective effect. So, as the model rises, the scale becomes smaller.”

“At the back of the model, you’ll find a detailed recreation of the citadel’s interior, including the Hall of Kings with the white throne and the Steward’s chair,” he says. “There are also small, partially hidden rooms on either side, like the library where Gandalf™ researches the history of The One Ring™, and a bedroom where Pippin and Gandalf stay before the climactic Battle of the Pelennor Fields.”

And, of course, there are plenty of hidden details tucked away in the design.

“There’s a palantir in a secret chamber, some tomatoes referencing Denethor’s memorable scene, and the new crown element is also reused in white for the statues in the Hall of Kings.”

The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings is as much about epic locations as it is about the extraordinary characters that inhabit them. 

“The characters are deeply connected to the city of Minas Tirith,” says François. “The selection places a special emphasis on two key narrative moments: Denethor’s downfall and the coronation of Aragorn™ as king. Together, the minifigures allow fans to recreate these defining chapters in the story of Gondor, the tension of the siege and the triumph that follows.”

There are 10 minifigures included, some of which are featured for the first time. 

“It’s the first time for Aragorn as King Elessar, Denethor and Faramir,” says François. “To achieve this, we created two new elements: a long-awaited Gondor helmet and a new wig with a crown for Aragorn. We also developed new designs for Gandalf the White, Peregrin Took™ and Arwen™, who holds a majestic banner. And, of course, we couldn’t forget Shadowfax™, Gandalf’s iconic horse.”

Whether you’ve collected our previous The Lord of the Rings sets, or are looking for your first, the LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Minas Tirith™ set really is a set fit for a King.