iirc they had to remove them after the Fellowship came out due to environmental impact concerns, rebuilt them for Return of the King’s ending, demolished them again, and then rebuilt them for the Hobbit, finally in a place that was accessible enough to maintain as a community but remote enough to match the film’s landscape.
I remember reading somewhere the original film sets were abandoned.
Are these the same, rebuilt, or a different recreation?
They were rebuilt to be more permanent for the Hobbit movies.
iirc they had to remove them after the Fellowship came out due to environmental impact concerns, rebuilt them for Return of the King’s ending, demolished them again, and then rebuilt them for the Hobbit, finally in a place that was accessible enough to maintain as a community but remote enough to match the film’s landscape.