Orava Castle, also known as Oravský hrad, is a hilltop castle in Oravský Podzámok in northern Slovakia. Built between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries on a high rock above the Orava River, it is one of the country’s most striking castle sites. Its steep position, layered fortifications, and dark silhouette have made it especially well suited to horror, fantasy, and historical productions.
Orava Castle appears in Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000), and Dracula (2020). It is most closely associated with vampire fiction on screen, having served first as Count Orlok’s castle in Nosferatu and later as Castle Dracula in the BBC/Netflix series Dracula.
In Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), Orava Castle is used as Count Orlok’s castle in Transylvania. The exterior views of the fortress are among the film’s most memorable images, establishing the vampire’s home as an isolated and threatening stronghold.
In Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000), Orava Castle was used as one of the medieval fortress locations. Its elevated position and fortified profile suited the film’s fantasy setting and gave the production a ready-made stronghold environment.
In Dracula (2020), Orava Castle is used for the exterior of Castle Dracula. The fortress appears in the opening Transylvanian material and gives the series a real gothic stronghold rather than a studio-created fantasy castle.
Nosferatu
Nosferatu was primarily filmed on location in Germany and Slovakia. Key German locations included Lübeck. Carpathian scenes were shot in Slovakia.
Liban Quarry
Liban Quarry is a historic limestone quarry in Kraków, Poland. It is also known as the filming location for the camp scenes in Schindler's List.
Schindler’s List Passage
The famous, narrow, and steep staircase where Mrs. Dresner hides from Nazis in Schindler's List is located at Józefa 12 in the Kazimierz district of Kraków.
Spiš Castle
Spiš Castle is a vast medieval castle ruin in eastern Slovakia, and appears in Dragonheart (1996), Kull the Conqueror (1997), and The Last Legion (2007).
Čachtice Castle
Čachtice Castle was used as the castle ruins set featured in the opening sequence of the 1996 fantasy movie Dragonheart and the 2008 film Bathory.
Ogrodzieniec Castle
Ogrodzieniec Castle has appeared in Janosik (1973–1974), The Knight (1980), The Revenge (2002), The Witcher (2019) and the Australian series Spellbinder (1995).
Heroes’ Square
Heroes’ Square appears in A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), Red Sparrow (2018), and Gemini Man (2019).
Fisherman’s Bastion
Fisherman’s Bastion has appeared in several international productions, including "I Spy" (2002), "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011) and "Gemini Man" (2019).
Kerepesi Cemetery
Kerepesi Cemetery appears in Dune: Part Two (2024), Red Sparrow (2018), and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008).
Müpa Budapest
Müpa Budapest appears in The Martian (2015) and The Day of the Jackal (2024–). In both productions, Müpa is used as a modern institutional building.