9 Fictional Movie Locations that are actually in Europe
Throughout movie history, thousands of fictional lands, planets, and towns have enthralled and impressed us.
But I bet you didn’t know that these 9 fictional movie locations really do exist… and in Europe!
Interstellar
As Matthew Mcconaughey travels the icy wastelands of the fictional planet of ‘Mann’ in Interstellar, in reality he is enduring the cold weather of Iceland in the Svínafellsjökull Glacier.
Hunger Games: Mockingjay
Panem, an imaginary world which is split into 13 districts, is the fictional location of the Hunger Games franchise. Several of Panem’s ‘districts’ that appear in Mockingjay are actually existing sites in Europe:
Berlin, Germany:
In Mockingjay Part 1, District 13’s weapon training unit is in the depths of Das Kraftwerk power plant in Berlin.
Rüdersdorf, Germany:
An abandoned chemical factory in the small town of Rüdersdorf near Berlin became the stark backdrop for district 8’s hospital which Katniss visits in Mockingjay part 1.
Paris, France:
Towards the end of Mockingjay Part 2, a suburb of Paris called Noisy-le-Grand became the ‘Capitol’ district for the franchise finale. This postmodern sea of concrete, and specifically the Espaces d’Abraxas, are surreal enough in real life that it is hard to believe that you can actually visit it in Paris.
Star Wars
Norway:
The Hardangerjøkulen Glacier in Norway, a few hours away from Oslo, is the real location of the frozen ‘Hoth’ planet which we see at the start of The Empire Strikes Back.
Spain/ Italy:
The planet of ‘Naboo’ appears several times in the Star Wars series, but this imaginary land is actually a mix of shots of Sevilla, Spain and Lake Como in Italy.
Ireland:
The uninhabited island mountain of Skellig Michael in Ireland was used as a location in The Force Awakens. The mountain has an abandoned monastery where filming also took place – Deserved one of the most fictional movie locations.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
This Wes Anderson film takes place in the fictional European country, the Republic of Zubrowka. In reality, the iconic lobby of the hotel is the Görlitzer Warenhaus department store in Görlitz, Germany, while the exterior is actually made of adapted shots of the Bristol Palace Hotel.
Harry Potter
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was filmed in various locations across the UK, especially in old schools and castles. A couple of the most recognisable locations are:
Christ Church College hall became the Hogwarts Great Hall…
Alnwick Castle was used for many outdoor scenes
There are many more exciting movies and television series that are filmed in Europe, and it’s just up to you to go out there and find more of the most fictional movie locations!
