Where was Amadeus filmed? Forman’s Vienna is Prague and Kroměříž
Miloš Forman’s Oscar-winning Amadeus is set in Vienna but was filmed in Prague and Kroměříž. Visit the Estates Theatre where Mozart himself conducted Don Giovanni, Nerudova Street, St Giles’ Church, the Invalidovna and Kroměříž Château.
Places that act · film stories and the real places where they were made
Miloš Forman’s Amadeus (1984) won eight Oscars and tells the story of Mozart in Vienna – yet you will hardly see Vienna in it. In 1983 the crew spent seven months shooting the exteriors and most interiors in Prague and at the Archbishop’s Château in Kroměříž. Here are the places that played 18th-century Vienna – one of them is special: Mozart really conducted there.
Why Prague instead of Vienna
In the 1980s Prague had a much better preserved historic centre than the Austrian capital, and filming there was cheaper. Further scenes were shot at Barrandov Studios.
The Estates Theatre: where Mozart really conducted
The most remarkable location of the whole film. On 29 October 1787 Mozart conducted the world premiere of Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre, and in 1791 La clemenza di Tito premiered here too. It is the only surviving theatre, still in use, where a Mozart opera premiered under his own baton.
Forman shot the opera scenes here, lighting the auditorium with candles and filming the operas at full length for an authentic 18th-century look. Today the theatre is a stage of the National Theatre and Mozart’s operas are still performed here.
Lesser Town and Hradčany: the streets of Mozart’s Vienna
Vienna’s streets were mostly played by Hradčany and the Lesser Town. On Nerudova Street Mozart borrows masks for a masked ball; on Maltese Square the crew set up a makeshift market. The film also features Hradčany Square with the Archbishop’s Palace, Thunovská Street, Charles Bridge, the Grand Prior’s Palace and the Wallenstein Garden by the Wallenstein Palace.
St Giles’ Church: the wedding with Constanze
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In the film Mozart marries Constanze Weber in St Giles’ Church in the Old Town. The Gothic church received a Baroque interior with frescoes by Václav Vavřinec Reiner in the 18th century.
The Invalidovna: Salieri’s asylum
The whole film is framed by the old Antonio Salieri telling his story in a lunatic asylum. The crew set it up in the Invalidovna in Karlín, a Baroque home for war veterans built in 1731–1737.
Kroměříž: the imperial court
The Viennese imperial court was played by the Archbishop’s Château in Kroměříž. The crew spent fourteen days here and shot Mozart’s meeting with Emperor Joseph II in the Rococo Assembly Hall. On a tour of the château you can also see an original Mozart score for two pianos. The château and its gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Veltrusy and other places
Some exteriors were shot at Veltrusy Château. The crew also filmed at Vyšehrad, on Střelecký Island and in the cemetery at Horní Beřkovice.
Mozart’s real Prague
Mozart loved Prague, and Prague loved him. During his visits he stayed at the Bertramka villa in Smíchov. He wrote Don Giovanni for Prague out of gratitude for the enthusiastic reception of The Marriage of Figaro.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the film Amadeus shot?
Most of the film was shot in 1983 in Prague: in the Estates Theatre, in Hradčany and the Lesser Town (Nerudova Street, Maltese Square, the Grand Prior’s Palace), in St Giles’ Church and the Invalidovna. The imperial court scenes were filmed at the Archbishop’s Château in Kroměříž, others at Veltrusy and at Barrandov Studios.
Was Amadeus filmed in Vienna?
No. 18th-century Vienna was played by Prague and Kroměříž, because Prague had a better preserved historic centre and filming there was cheaper.
Did Mozart really conduct at the Estates Theatre?
Yes. On 29 October 1787 Mozart conducted the world premiere of Don Giovanni there. It is the only surviving theatre, still in use, where a Mozart opera premiered under his own baton.
Where was Mozart’s meeting with the Emperor filmed?
In the Assembly Hall of the Archbishop’s Château in Kroměříž, where the crew filmed for fourteen days.
Filming locations according to the Czech Film Commission, Wikipedia (cs, en) and VisitCzechia; Kroměříž details according to ČT24 and VisitCzechia, the Estates Theatre according to Prague City Tourism. Photos from Wikimedia Commons.