While Germany is well known for its great food and rich culture, the nation is home to some truly stunning scenery, which directors from across the world have noticed, too! Here are 10 famous films that you probably didn’t know were filmed in Germany.
A key scene from the Harry Potter franchise’s penultimate film was filmed in the picturesque town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in Bavaria. In the 2010 film, a short scene where Grindelwald steals a wand from Gregorovitch’s house features the town’s crooked old streets and stunning timbered buildings.
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As with several other James Bond films, Tomorrow Never Dies was partially filmed in Germany. The film features a scene in which Bond meets the head of the research and development division of the British Secret Service “Q”, in the airport in Hamburg. James Bond is also seen to stay a night at the extravagant-looking Hotel Atlantic, another landmark in the German city.
After the success of The Hunger Games books, it was little surprise that there would be a series of movie adaptations. Mockingjay Part 2 saw scenes filmed in several spots in Germany, including the site of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, a derelict chemical factory in Rüdersdorf (in Brandenburg), and an old, abandoned power plant in central Berlin. These uber-creepy, isolated locations made for the perfect setting for this dystopian sci-fi finale.
The 1971 Gene Wilder classic, not to be confused with Tim Burton’s 2005 creation, was filmed in the city of Munich. The filming location for the chocolate factory’s entrance can still be found at Emmy-Noether-Straße, in north-western Munich. Bill’s Candy Shop from the movie was also filmed in Munich, on the Lilienstraße, but has apparently been demolished since the film.
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Snowden, based on the life of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, has several scenes filmed in Munich, despite not actually being set there. The Munich Olympic Stadium, for example, played the location of the NSA headquarters, and several sets were constructed at an old post office and bicycle shop near Altstadt-Lehel.
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The Bourne film franchise, often regarded as America’s answer to James Bond, has several scenes that are shot in the German capital, Berlin. The Bourne Supremacy sees the film’s protagonist, Jason Bourne, chase the CIA through the city, and the newer 2016 release, Jason Bourne, filmed yet more scenes in Berlin’s cool Kreuzberg district.
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The name of this film is highly erroneous, since the majority of filming took place in Germany, especially inside the stunning Görlitzer Warenhaus Department Store in Görlitz, Saxony. The Department store was the set of the interior of the hotel, and despite its beautiful architecture, the building is actually abandoned in real life. This has made it a perfect set for several other movies, too.
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Three locations in the German city of Berlin were used in this star-studded 2016 megafilm: Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, Messedamm and the ICC conference centre. The film also used the Leipzig / Halle Airport in Saxony for a key battle scene between Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.
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The third instalment of Tom Cruise’s epic Mission: Impossible franchise was, as always, a truly international film, with locations including Shanghai and Xitang in China, Rome and Caserta in Italy, Vatican City, California, Virginia and Maryland in the US. The film also shot several scenes in Berlin, although many of the scenes that were set in Berlin were also shot in the US, too!
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The 2016 Eddie the Eagle biographical movie sees 10-year-old Michael Edwards chase his dream to become an Olympic-level skier, despite all obstacles thrown in his way. As part of his training, Michael has to attend a training facility in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which was at the time part of West Germany. In real life, Michael went on to represent Great Britain in the Olympics of 1988, becoming the first Brit to do so since 1928.