9 Famous Films and TV Shows Shot in The Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is indisputably one of the most beautiful countries not only in Europe but in the whole world. The territory of this country is full of incredible landscapes and architecture. That’s one of the reasons why so many great movies were filmed here

There are many reasons why the Czech Republic is a very popular European country for filming Hollywood films. This is due to not only low rental prices and other costs but also good shooting sites equipped with the new technology, and, of course, the Barrandov film studio.

I bet everybody loves fascinating movies but isn’t it amazing that we are living in a country with so many places where a lot of famous movies were filmed?. There are so many of them, therefore I picked up some of the best ones, which were completely or just partly made here. I think during the pandemic it’s amazing that we can use our free time watching new movies, maybe you didn’t see some of these from the list and will enjoy your evenings at home with them.  

First of all, I would like to mention two wonderful new TV Shows: Genius and Carnival Raw.

1. Genius is a TV show, which describes Albert Einstein’s Life in the first season while the second one follows Pablo Picasso’s fate. I should confess that it’s one of my favorite TV series and that’s why I mention it first. Many episodes of the first season were shot in the Czech Republic. Most of the episodes were filmed in Prague, but also in locations such as Liberec, Loket, Jablonec nad Nisou, Karlov, and Hýskov. If you like documentaries, drama movies and Hans Zimmer’s music the show will be a great choice for you.

National Geographic’s Genius (2017)

2. Carnival Raw is a dark fantasy, which was filmed here just last year. The main characters are brilliantly played by Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne. The city in the movie is called Burgue which is a steampunk neo-Victorian metropolis definitely inspired by Prague. The scenes from the second episode were filmed in the gardens of Queen Anne’s Summer Palace, at the Royal Castle of Prague. Also, some acts were shot at the neo-renaissance building Rudolfinum, Krnsko Castle, and Liberec railway station. 

3. In my previous article, I wrote about famous Czech authors, and I mentioned Milan Kundera and his famous novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The story is about the fate of a Czech doctor, who changed dramatically after the Prague Spring of 1968. This movie is full of incredible views of Prague, and most of all: it reflects this time of communist repression and shows how it affected the main characters and their lives.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988).

4. In The Illusionist, you can see the beautiful Prague as the 19th century Vienna. A love story that goes through decades, conquering any challenge. This American romantic drama is directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton, definitely, deserves your attention. Some episodes were filmed in Český Krumlov and in the historical fortress of Konopiště.

5. In Miloš Forman’s great film Amadeus, Prague is also represented as Vienna. Miloš Forman was a Czech-American movie director, born and raised in Czechoslovakia. Amadeus, one of his notable works, is a fictionalized biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Therefore Prague is shown to us as Austria of the 18th century. This film was nominated for 53 awards and received 40, and 8 of them were Oscars.

Amadeus (1983)

6. Where else to film the fantasy based on the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, if not in Bohemian Switzerland upstream of the Elbe? The Chronicles of Narnia, a movie released in 2005, was shot in Prague as well. The main heroes are walking around the magical Prague and thanks to the efforts of Barrondov’s studio it looks fantastic. Rudolfinum and Prague Museum of Decorative Arts mainly hit the frame. 

7. Of course, it’s necessary to mention The Brothers Grimm adventure fantasy film, which was released in 2005. Matt Damon, Heath Ledger and Lena Headey were playing the main characters of this movie and it was shot entirely in the Czech Republic. Křivoklát Castle, Kutná Hora, Ledec nad Sázavou and some other landscapes were nicely shown in this fantastic movie.  

8. I bet everybody adores James Bond movies but did you know that one of them was shot in the Czech Republic? If not, once the pandemic will be gone, you should visit Karlovy Vary, where the Casino Royale was filmed. The Grand Hotel Pupp is shown as “Hotel Splendide” in “Montenegro” and Kaiserbad Spa is Casino Royale”. Some scenes took at the Strahov Monastery, in the Natural History museum, Danube house and Prague’s airport is a “Miami” airport. 

Casino Royale (2006)

9. So many film directors choose the Czech Republic as a place to make a movie, and so many actors adore Prague so much as it’s a very beautiful place. Among Hollywood celebrities, you probably won’t find a bigger fan of Prague than Tom Cruise, who is playing the main character in this film, as you might know. And the last one on my list, but not the last of all movies, which were filmed in the Czech Republic is Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The first part of the action spy saga Mission Impossible was also filmed in Prague. The Charles Bridge, the Europa Hotel, the Old Town Square, where Ethan Hunt smashed a nonexistent aquarium, and many more familiar places are constantly flickering in the frame.

Looking for cool movies and shows to watch while being at home? Check out these movie tips.

Yulia Ivanova

"As I am also an expat in the Czech Republic so I know and understand well how hard it is to adapt to a new environment. Therefore, I am here for you to share my experience, and I do my best to help you.

4 thoughts on “9 Famous Films and TV Shows Shot in The Czech Republic

  1. I giggled reading this a little bit. The 2nd form of the verb shoot is actually “shot” not “shooted”. So your title should read “9 Famous Films and TV Shows Shot in The Czech Republic”. Super easy mistake to make that I see all the time as a native English teacher 🙂

    1. Hi Karissa,

      Thank you for letting us know, I’ll fix it 🙂

      Kind regards,

      Anna

  2. Hello
    Not only Hollywood but also quite number of Bollywood movies have been shot in CZ.
    CZ offers unique option of authentic architecture within low cost in EU.
    Maybe you can do some research in this part too 🙂

    1. Hello Akhil,

      Thank you very much for the tip! We will definitely consider that! If you can recommend us some good movies that you’d like to read about on this blog, feel free to let us know 🙂

      Kind regards,

      Anna

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