When it comes to medieval-themed productions, many international filmmakers choose Hungary—and for good reason. The country offers more than 30,000 square meters of rentable medieval backlots, hundreds of thousands of props and costumes, and hundreds of diverse authentic medieval locations. In addition, Hungary offers a wealth of skilled crew members and even trained animals to enhance historical accuracy. Throughout the year, the local weather conditions and natural landscapes provide scenery that perfectly evokes the Middle Ages. This article delves into all these aspects, offering a comprehensive overview of Hungary’s film industry and infrastructure.
Hungary’s Connection to the Middle Ages
With a history spanning over a thousand years, Hungary’s medieval heritage is not just a distant past but a living part of everyday culture. The country’s people, landscapes, and architecture keep the Middle Ages vividly present, especially in the film industry. Medieval castles frequently serve as filming locations, and Hungarians maintain a deep and authentic connection to the era through widely practiced traditional activities such as horseback riding, fencing, and archery. This rich heritage makes it easy to find highly skilled professionals for medieval productions, whether it’s stunt performers trained in horseback combat for large-scale battle scenes or master blacksmiths providing expertise and equipment to the prop and art departments.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Backlots and Soundstages
Over the past decade, Hungary has seen significant development in its film production facilities. The country is home to numerous studios, three of which stand out on a global scale for their state-of-the-art equipment, expansive backlots, and overall capacity.
Photo: Progressive Productions
One of these is Korda Studio, which features one of the world’s largest soundstages (6,000 square meters or 64,583 square feet) and two permanent medieval sets. Spanning 12,000 square meters, one of these sets is a Medieval Village complete with a forest and lake, while the other is an expansive Renaissance Town covering nearly 8,000 square meters. Another major Hungarian studio also boasts a significantly larger permanent Medieval Town set, featuring a throne room, a canal with a boat, castle walls, a gate, and a drawbridge, among other elements. Since these sets are in constant use, they are regularly maintained and periodically expanded with new structures.
Real Locations
In the Middle Ages, Hungary occupied the same geographical region it does today. As a result, many medieval buildings have survived, either in their original form or through authentic renovations.
When envisioning the Middle Ages, castles, palaces, and forests immediately come to mind. Hungary is home to nearly 200 castles, though only a fraction of them are suitable for filming. Many of the most renowned ones have already been discovered by international productions and have become established shooting locations. However, thanks to Progressive’s extensive local knowledge and location database, we can provide access to undiscovered sites that have yet to appear on screen.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Beyond castles, Hungary’s diverse range of additional locations further strengthens its offering of medieval settings. Churches, open-air museums, forests, fields, and various unique sites contribute to a complete and immersive medieval vision.
The country has as many churches as castles, though naturally, only a portion of them date back to the Middle Ages. Even within this select group, filmmakers can find well-preserved cathedral-sized churches as well as small, secluded monasteries and atmospheric church ruins.
Photo: Progressive Productions
One of the most unique aspects of Hungary’s medieval filming locations is its open-air museums. Designed to authentically recreate the daily life of peasants in specific historical periods, these museums consist of entire villages that require little to no modification for period-accurate shoots. Most of these locations welcome film productions, and in recent years, they have become increasingly popular. The country’s largest outdoor museum is just a short drive from Budapest and features eight independent settlements, along with fields, forests, and even a river.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Beyond the typical medieval buildings and villages, Hungary also offers several one-of-a-kind filming locations. These include a grandiose palace throne room in the capital—frequently used for shoots—as well as quarries, mines, caves, and other distinctive landscapes.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Props and Technical Equipment
Beyond authentic locations, another crucial aspect of medieval productions is the historical accuracy of costumes, props, and overall set design. Thanks to the high number of productions filmed in Hungary, the country’s collection of medieval props and costumes is continuously expanding, along with the number of companies specializing in crafting new period-accurate items—including costumes, props, and even entire sets.
Hungary’s largest costume and prop warehouse holds over 100,000 costumes, thousands of weapons, and an extensive selection of furniture and other props, all available for rent. Additionally, several major international rental companies have offices in Budapest, making it easy to source missing items from abroad. For example, Germany—home to one of Europe’s largest film industries—serves as a key supplier, with props and costumes readily transportable. The same applies to cutting-edge technical equipment, as nearly anything can be rented locally. In cases of highly specialized requests, Hungary’s EU membership and the ATA Carnet system allow for rapid import, often within just a few days.
Since medieval battle scenes and other large-scale productions often take place in remote outdoor locations, mobile infrastructure is essential. Fortunately, assembling on-site trailer parks for cast and crew is a seamless process in Hungary. A prime example of this was the filming of Hercules (starring Dwayne Johnson), where the battle scene set was built near a countryside airport, and an entire trailer city was set up directly on the airport’s runway.
Animals on Medieval Shoots
As previously mentioned, Hungary has a strong equestrian tradition, making it home to numerous skilled horse masters and a large stock of trained stunt and acting horses. This allows productions to execute even large-scale battle scenes entirely with locally sourced horses. Additionally, all necessary equestrian equipment—such as saddles, carts, and chariots—is readily available.
While horses play a central role in medieval productions, achieving true authenticity often requires a wider variety of animals. Hungary’s film industry includes numerous experienced animal trainers, many of whom have spent decades preparing both domestic and wild animals for film shoots. Beyond common animals like chickens, productions can also work with more specialized species such as wolves, bears, deer, wild boars, and birds of prey.
Weather and Nature
The weather plays a crucial role in capturing the atmosphere of medieval films, and Hungary’s climate is particularly well-suited for creating these conditions. Throughout the year, the country’s forests and fields naturally evoke a medieval ambiance.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Hungary experiences all four seasons distinctly, allowing productions to film landscapes in a variety of settings—from stark, wintry backdrops to lush, green environments, depending on the timing of the shoot. For much of the year, the Hungarian landscape is characterized by misty, humid, and atmospheric conditions that enhance the medieval aesthetic. A prime example is a forest near the capital, which has become a popular filming location due to the unique color of its trees and the presence of massive boulders scattered throughout its depths.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Special Crew for Medieval Shoots
Hungary offers a wealth of highly experienced film professionals, many of whom have spent decades perfecting their craft. In addition to assembling a top-tier general crew, productions can also choose from a wide range of specialists in medieval filmmaking, including trained stunt performers, armorers, prop masters, and set builders.
Photo: Progressive Productions
The stunt profession has a long-standing tradition in Hungary, resulting in a deep pool of stunt performers and coordinators with generations of expertise in horseback riding, fencing, and archery. Many have worked on major productions such as Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom, and Hercules, where they were responsible for training hundreds of extras in combat choreography.
While armorers, set builders, and prop masters possess universally applicable skills, many in Hungary have developed a particular specialization in medieval productions. Their deep understanding of historical accuracy, along with their familiarity with locally available materials and props, makes them invaluable assets. When involved early in the planning process, these experts can significantly streamline production, saving both time and resources.
The Hungarian Film Industry In Short
Everything mentioned so far is essential for the success of a medieval production, but these factors alone are not unique within Europe. However, when combined with Hungary’s well-developed film industry, they create a production ecosystem that is truly exceptional on a global scale.
Thanks to the steady influx of international productions, Hungary has implemented several laws designed to support foreign filmmakers. These include regulations that simplify travel and work procedures for international crews, a 30% tax rebate system, and an expedited process for obtaining public area filming permits.
Beyond legal incentives, Hungary’s thriving film industry has also brought significant changes to the labor market. The stability and consistency of international productions have made the industry an increasingly attractive career path, leading to a rapid rise in both the quality and quantity of local crew members. As a result, Hungarian professionals now meet international standards across a wide range of specialized roles.
Multiple Country Shoots
If a production still requires additional elements beyond what Hungary offers, a multiple-country shoot can be an excellent solution.
Medieval productions have frequently expanded into neighboring countries, particularly Croatia, Slovakia, and Austria. These locations are often chosen for their specific castles or historical buildings, which serve as perfect complements to the sites filmed in Hungary. The European Union’s open-border policy ensures seamless movement of both crew and equipment between Hungary and these countries.
Thanks to Hungary’s EU membership and the close proximity of its neighbors, executing a multi-country shoot is both practical and efficient. With Budapest as the central production hub, filmmakers can easily access medieval locations in surrounding countries within just a few hours by car.
