Covering around 4,000 square kilometres, the Harz region offers a unique backdrop for film and television productions.
Among the most spectacular sights are the pristine landscapes with mountain forests, steep-sided valleys, meadows and moors. The caves, tunnels and mine shafts also inspire magical film moments and reflect a mining tradition that goes back more than 3,000 years. Industrial monuments, significant sacred buildings and half-timbered ensembles, which have been designated as World Heritage cultural sites, give the region a special architectural splendour that has already inspired numerous film crews.
Mystical castles and palaces in the Harz have already been the settings for many historical films set in the Middle Ages, dealing with stories from the First World War or portraying tales based in the 1930s and 1940s. Many family films have also found the ideal film backdrop here – for instance, “The Little Ghost” cheerfully flies through the night in front of Wernigerode Castle. The list of films for which the Harz provided the perfect filming conditions ranges from TV crime dramas and comedies to major cinema productions such as “Monuments Men” or “7 Dwarves – The Forest Is Not Enough.”
The initiative “Drehort Harz” was launched as a joint project between Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia with the aim of highlighting the potential of this exciting film region across state borders. In close proximity to surrounding metropolitan areas, the Harz offers fascinating natural scenery and exceptional architecture for film projects of all genres.
