Where Was The Grand Budapest Hotel Filmed? An Oscar-Winning Comedy Drama Of 2014!!

If you’re searching for an Oscar-winning film then search no more, as you’ve come to the right place. Continue to read this article, where I acquaint you with a critically acclaimed drama, The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring Ralph Fiennes. Furthermore, I’ll let you in on where was The Grand Budapest Hotel filmed as well.

The American comedy-drama film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, released in 2014 had an ensemble cast. 17 Hollywood A-listers were cast in the film by Wes Anderson, whose eccentric yet skilful reputation in the show-biz industry precedes him. In this film, director Anderson depicts the journey of a man, from being a lobby boy to owning a luxurious hotel, under the command of a seasoned concierge.

The Grand Budapest Hotel did not manage to become a huge commercial success. In fact, this awe-inspiring movie earned significantly less than the production budget. However, The Grand Budapest Hotel went on to achieve a number of awards and nominations, including 4 Academy awards. The critics and audiences were satisfied with the overall performance of the actors, and the narrative of this ingenious film. 

Now, before I begin to discuss the plot of this film, let’s explore where was The Grand Budapest Hotel filmed. So that you can take a closer look at the picturesque filming locations.

Where Was The Grand Budapest Hotel Filmed? Let’s Know This Drama Flick Closely!

You might be thinking that the shooting of The Grand Budapest Hotel took place in Budapest, right? But, no, the filming locations of this movie were in Germany. The entire filming took place in different parts of Deutschland, which more or less has the same sort of backdrop and terrain as Hungary. 

Thus, after the production unit finalized the filming locations, the principal photography commenced in the first month of 2013. The crew took 3 months to wrap up the filming process. Considering the number of logistics and shooting permissions the unit had to arrange, the filming schedule was comparatively short. 

There were no reports of any mishaps that took place during filming in Germany. However, the crew did struggle initially adjusting to the climate of Bavaria, which is pretty da*n cold during the winter season. Now, without any further ado, let’s discuss in-depth where was The Grand Budapest Hotel filmed, and find out more about the specific shooting sites.

Dresden, Saxony | Germany

The eastern state of Saxony, is where the production arrived, after traveling from America. Director Wes Anderson was quite familiar with the filming techniques of the cinematographer, thus Anderson followed his lead. The opening scene of the movie was filmed in the beautiful city of Dresden. Several outdoor shots featuring the old yet well-preserved castles and monuments were captured. Pivotal exterior scenes were also filmed in Zwinger, which is a palatial complex in Dresden, and then the production moved to the next filming site.

Waldenburg, Hainewalde, Saxony | Germany

Recreating the exterior part of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” inside a studio was a tedious and expensive task. So, the production instead, decided to capture the outdoor shots of the Waldenburg castle. After which a few exterior shots of castle Hainewalde were filmed. Filming lasted in these locations for a week or so.

Zwickau, Saxony | Germany

The production then finally arrived at the last filming location. The ending sequence was filmed in the city of Zwickau. Specifically in the Osterstein Castle, which was used to film the prison scene. The production unit used special lighting techniques to capture this interior sequence. 

Other shots which had to be filmed during the night, were in reality shot during dusk, as the director wanted to use the natural twilight effect. A few other exterior shots of the Ore Mountains were taken after which the unit moved to Studio Babelsberg located in the heart of Bradenburg and captured the remaining interior sequences. 

Now, if you’re intrigued to find out about more beautiful places in Deutschland, then you can certainly look into Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Nuremberg and Leipzig which are often visited by tourists during the winters.

Alright friends, now allow me to discuss the plot of The Grand Budapest Hotel in brief. So that the basic premise of this highly-nuanced film becomes clearer to you. Meanwhile you can also check out She’s The Man, The Godfather and The Sandlot which I hope you’d enjoy watching as well.

Plot Of The Grand Budapest Hotel | What’s It About

The film begins by taking us to the fictional nation of Zubrowka, where a young lady is shown visiting the shrine of the “Author”, and offering respect by reading his book “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. Later in the film, we are introduced to the character of Zero, a newly appointed lobby boy of the luxurious hotel.

Midway through the film, Zero learns the tricks of the trade from the concierge of the hotel, Mr. Gustave. The duo soon build up a fantastic rapport which solidifies the base of their relationship. However, when Gustave gets charged with the murder of a wealthy guest, the special bond is put to test as Zero is tasked to acquit his master. 

In the final quarter, the lobby boy somehow manages to free Gustave from the Zubrowkan prison, but soon gets caught by the authorities. Now in order to find out how Zero makes it to the top and ends up being the owner of The Grand Budapest Hotel, you’d have to watch this super-dramatic film.

Final Words

Ok, guys, so far we have discussed the plot of the film, and deeply analyzed where was The Grand Budapest Hotel filmed. I hope that should be enough to entice you in watching this movie if you haven’t already. If there’s anything you want us to change/add, let us know in the comments section below, and we’d gladly do so. And don’t forget to check out other entertaining articles on Viebly.