Unsurprisingly, Castle Black and the Night's Watch, are among the first things to appear on the all-time great show, Game Of Thrones. This alone was an indication of the importance of Castle Black, later in the show. The primary headquarters of the brothers of the Night's Watch, Castle Black is their home. 

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Since the show has ended, fans know how important the castle was, for Westeros and the kingdom, in general. Despite this, fans do not know some really fascinating details about it. These are some of those lesser-known aspects of Castle Black you probably ended up overlooking.

Where Is Castle Black?

Castle Black from Game of Thrones

The major stronghold of the Night’s Watch, Castle Black stands along the Wall between Oakenshield in the east and Queensgate in the west. Castle Black is also the official seat of the Lord Commander.

It is situated roughly at the center of the Wall, to the north end of the Kingsroad. There are 19 more Strongholds near the wall, but, Castle Black is one of the only three which are manned by the Night’s Watch. 

Not A Castle Actually

Despite being named as Castle Black, it is not a castle per se. The reason is that it does not have any walls in the east, west or the south ends. 

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Castle Black has just one wall to defend it from the enemies, The Wall (which is in the north). Due to the decline in Night's Watch members, all the other castles apart from Castle Black (and two others), have long been abandoned. 

Significance

Jon Snow at Castle Black in Game of Thrones

It is the primary headquarters of the Night's Watch and it's the garrison. Although the first castle of the men was the Nightfort, Castle Black has still been the most crucial one out of the many others. 

Nightfort is the oldest castle. Nightfort used to serve as the seat of the Lord Commander until about 600 years ago when Castle Black overtook it as the new seat. It offers a place to around six hundred watchers now. 

History

Jon fights a Wildling at Castle Black in Game of Thrones

There were 19 such castles in Westeros along the Wall, but, 16 of them were abandoned over the course of time. Only three castles are occupied and guarded by the Night's Watch at the present time of the series. 

Oakenshield and the Queensgate are the other two castles which are still manned. Castle Black just so happens to lie right between these two.  

Infrastructure

Game of Thrones: Jon stands with the Night's Watch

There are multiple timber keeps and stone towers in  Castle Black. A mesh of subterranean passages run underneath the towers and the keeps, which they call wormwalks. 

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The wormwalks ensure connectivity between the buildings and the towers. No one uses these passages during hot summer, but, they are used exceedingly during the extremely cold, snow-laden, and freezing months of the winter. Castle Black does not have a Godswood. Septon Cellador runs a small sept inside the castle. 

Towers & Buildings

Although there are multiple significant towers inside Castle Black, the most important is the Lord Commander's keep. That is essentially the residential quarters for the commander of the Night's Watch.

The second most powerful tower is most likely the King's Tower. The tower is a hundred feet tall and round. The strongest tower in Castle Black is the Tower of Guards.

Heritage

According to the folklore and mythology of Game of Thrones, Castle Black was founded in -8000 BC by Bran the Builder. It has a sept, but there is no Godswood inside.

People who worship old gods of the forest need to travel at least a mile north from the Wall, to the Haunted forest. At the center, there is a timbered keep called the Common Hall where the brothers eat. 

Bars On Castle Black

Locke Game of Thrones

A few years ago, HBO released a few trivia questions in the exclusive GOT quiz about the Castle Black. They asked what the bars on the Castle Black tunnel gates were made of. 

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To answer, these thick bars were actually made of 4 inches of cold-rolled steel. The wall and this hauntingly beautiful castle were filmed in the Magheramorne quarry, Northern Ireland. 

Strategic Value

As mentioned by Ser Alliser Thorne, more than a hundred generations of the Night’s Watch have defended the Castle Black and the Wall. They have been doing an important job of keeping the wildlings and the White Walkers away from the Westeros and civilization.

But, the job has lost its importance and value over time. The houses find the job seemingly lowly and look down upon them. They send recruits usually as a form of punishment. 

White Walkers & The Importance Of Castle Black In GOT

The Night King at Hardhome in Game of Thrones

Castle Black, the Wall, and the Night’s Watch were mighty once, but, lost their importance over the years. Everyone takes them for granted since they do not see any specific contribution to the battle for Westeros in general from them. Of course, they think White Walkers are just a myth.

But, in the eighth season, the White Walkers launch a full attack on Westeros. That's when the Night Watch and Castle Black emerged as the heroes. 

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