The Empress – where was the Netflix royal drama filmed?

If you're anything like us, you've already binge-watched all six episodes of The Empress on Netflix and are now desperate to find out more about the European period drama. 

Ever since we binge-watched our way through The Empress last month, we've been desperate to find out everything there is to know about the historical drama - including where it was filmed in Europe. 

Based on the story of real-life Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the Netflix regency series is the perfect show to keep royal fans entertained until the highly-anticipated release of The Crown Season 5 next month. 

The thrilling drama invites viewers into the world of the European royal as she struggles to adjust to her new life in Vienna after marrying Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1854. The Duchess is often regarded as the most famous female in Habsburg history, and with so much fanfare surrounding The Empress, it looks like she's about to gain a whole new modern following. There are even whispers about a Season 2 of The Empress, despite no confirmed plans from Netflix or the series' producers. 

In the meantime, fans of the show are keeping themselves occupied by finding out everything about how it was made and where it was shot. 

So without further ado, here are all the must-know details about where The Empress was filmed. 

Where was the Empress filmed?

The Empress was filmed entirely in Germany, with the southeast state of Bavaria being the favored spot for most of its scenes. Production for the Netflix series, which was directed by Katrin Gebbe and Florian Cossen, kicked off in August 2021 and wrapped in January 2022. 

Schloss Weißenstein in Pommersfelden was the main filming location for The Empress, with the Baroque palace serving as the ideal setting for Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth 'Sisi''s dramatic love story to unfold. The grandiose complex, which was built between 1711 and 1718, is open to the public as a museum today. 

Schloss Eyrichshof, located about an hour's drive from Schloss Weißenstein, also features in The Empress. The exterior of the 13th-century castle, which appears in one of the first scenes of the series, was used to represent Sisi's childhood home. Unfortunately, unlike Weißenstein, it is privately owned and generally inaccessible to the public. 

Schloss Faber-Castell is another castle that appears in The Empress – albeit, very briefly. While its exterior isn't used in the show, its main staircase gets some quick screentime – probably because it's so pretty. If the name of the castle rings a bell, that's because it was built in the early 20th century for the Faber Castell family – who famously made their millions from fancy stationery. 

Bayreuth, best known for its association with composer Richard Wagner, was also home to several shooting locations on The Empress. 

The Netflix show filmed scenes in the riverside town's Neues Schloss and Hermitage Palace, which are situated just a 15 minutes drive from each other. The production company reportedly even wrote a letter to residents in the Bayreuth area in August 2021, warning them of potential disturbances that could be caused by filming. 

Some of The Empress's other filming locations included the Babelsberg studio in Potsdam, Schloss und Park Fantaisie (a castle with medieval roots), and Schloss Friesenhausen (a gothic castle).