Where was Shadow and Bone shot? Filming locations of the Netflix series explored

Shadow and Bone season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.

The fantasy TV series is based on Leigh Bardugo’s book series, Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. The debut season consisted of eight episodes and hit the streamer on April 23, 2021.

Meanwhile, the second season also has eight episodes and was released on Thursday, March 16, 2023. Season 1 of the show was developed by Eric Heisserer, who returns for the next edition as well.

Heisserer’s screenplay for Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival was nominated at the 89th Academy Awards in 2016 and Shadow and Bone is his debut TV venture. Season 1 hit the floor in October 2019 and the team called it a wrap in February 2020.

Meanwhile, for the second installment, cameras started rolling in early January last year and the shooting schedule was completed six months later. The crew set up camp in Hungary for both seasons. Additional shots in season 1 were also lensed out in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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Shadow and Bone was shot extensively in Hungary

The Netflix show has a fantasy setting comprising a war-torn world of fictional cities, magic, and dark forces conspiring against an orphan mapmaker named Alina Starkov when she lets loose her extraordinary power.

Given this gist, the team scouted for a shooting location that was dotted with numerous palaces and places of historical significance. Hungary, which has over 2,000 homes and palaces, was eventually finalized.

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Budapest and Keszthely were among the Hungarian cities utilized for shooting

Budapest, the capital city, served as the primary location for the fantasy show. The trading city of Ketterdam was built inside the Origo Studios.

The movie studio has nine sound stages and is considered the largest studio in Hungary. Films like Dune, 47 Ronin, A Good Day to Die Hard, and Gemini Man were shot in Origo.

The National Museum of Ethnographic Museum doubled up as The Grand Palace room, while Buda Castle was used for the Royal Archives exterior.

Further, the Grisha training grounds and the Os Alta gates were set up in the Deli Rondella of the Buda Castle, and the old Budapest Stock Exchange Palace, located in Liberty Square, was used for the Royal Archives interior.

Keszthely, located 187.0 km from Budapest and situated on Lake Balaton’s western shore, served as the other main location for the Netflix show. Several shots were filmed in and around the Festetics Palace.

The Baroque palace was the house for the Little Palace, while the winter fete sequences were set inside the concert hall.

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The other shooting locations for the Netflix show

a) The Amadé Bajzáth-Pappenheim Castle, based in the Hungarian village of Iszkaszentgyörgy, became the spot for the Keramzin orphanage scene.

b) Szentendre, a riverside town in Pest County, was Ryevost, the Ravka settlement near the Sokol River on the show. Marvel show Moon Knight, Channing Tatum’s The Eagle, and the drama 1945, among others, were also filmed in Szentendre.

c) The Royal Castle of Gödöllő, Grassalkovich Palace was where the team created the stables of the Little Palace.

d) The Szentendre Skanzen Village Museum or the Hungarian Open Air Museum became Chernast, Ryevost, on Shadow and Bone. It’s the largest outdoor collection in Hungary and was established in 1967.

e) A flashback scene was shot in the Széchényi–Wenckheim mansion, located in Békéscsaba. Békéscsaba is a city with county rights and is 215 km (134 mi) southeast of Budapest.

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Both seasons of Shadow and Bone are streaming on Netflix.