Seven unique filming locations in MV

Heart cinema par excellence: anyone who doesn't like the film series „Ella Schön“ has never loved dramedy. And anyone who has ever visited Germany's most beautiful peninsula, Fischland-Darß-Zingst, is sure to have recognized one or two of the filming locations from the ZDF series. Romantically captured sunsets, spectacular aerial shots of the high shore and the panning shot over seemingly endless beaches between the harbour in Dierhagen and Zingst make the heart of every MV lover beat faster every Sunday at 8:15 pm. So it's no wonder that lead actress Annette Frier promptly fell in love with the region. But as we all know, you should call it quits when it's at its best, so after the fifth and final season in 2022, the heartbreaking break-ups, daring new beginnings and happy endings in the north of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will come to an end for the time being.

The „Hotel Mondial“ at Schwerin Cathedral is even more moonlike. Although – if you look for it by name on the city map of our state capital, even the most meticulous location detective is unlikely to find it. Nevertheless, the two-part ZDF early evening series scores with authentic impressions of the charming city center and has won the hearts of many fans. The building of the Kückenstiftung in a prime location between Pfaffenteich and the corner of Friedrichstraße, which houses a restaurant and the ZDF regional studio, serves as a striking hotel façade.Furthermore, the market square, the Schwerin Castle and the Schwerin Cathedral are also prominently displayed again and again. In the fictional series itself, emotional stories from the heart of society are thematized – of course, perfectly staged by the dream backdrop of the seven-lake city.

Ok, we admit that our previous two series suggestions are more in the shallow entertainment category. But watch out, dear horror movie fans, please don't despair! Even though the beautiful old town of Wismar is anything but spooky these days, the film „Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens“ (A Symphony of Horror) gave its viewers the creeps back in the 1920s. Today, the classic film by director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau is even considered a milestone in expressionist film history thanks to its impressive exterior shots of the fictional town of Wisborg and continues to receive positive reviews from experts. The highlight: to this day, the film locations in Wismar's old town center and at the harbor can be visited on your own or on a themed Nosferatour“ and invite you to linger. Walk through the water gate of the old Hanseatic city like Count Orlok (but without a coffin under your arm, please)… this is only possible here in Wismar.

Let's dwell on the historical context for a moment. The Schloss Bothmer in the north-west of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern proves once again that historic buildings - and especially castles - are perfect for use as impressive film sets. ARD did not miss this opportunity and filmed the two-part historical drama „Die Flucht“ (2007) in the historic property near Klütz. Even though the listed complex with its adjoining baroque-style castle garden was relocated to East Prussia for this film, this does not diminish the impressive effect of the scenery in the slightest. The plot: The noblewoman Lena Gräfin von Mahlenberg, played by leading actress Maria Furtwängler, becomes the heroine in this lavishly produced TV historical drama and leads a train of East Prussian refugees through the merciless winter from East Prussia to Bavaria - or rather: from idyllic Klütz to the Alpine region.

Last but not least, it gets cinematically humorous: the German romantic comedy „Love Steaks“ (2013) was filmed in the former hotel „Kurhaus Ahrenshoop“ and has several special features: Firstly, the feature film was shot without dubbing and with improvised dialogues, and secondly, apart from the two main actors, all the cast members are employees of today's hotel "THE GRAND". As the title suggests, love is not neglected in the artists' colony on Fischland, at least from a cinematic point of view: in the course of the plot, a complicated relationship develops between masseur Clemens and apprentice Lara, in which, of course, all the stories of a decent love story are played out.