After watching the Danish period drama Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction, you have surely fallen in love with the beautiful castles and landscapes that brought this Karen Blixen story to life. The movie, starring Sidse Babett Knudsen and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, is set in the fairytale kingdom of Babenhausen, but the filming locations are very much in the real world.
Ehrengard is a comedic period drama after a novel by Karen Blixen, best known for Out of Africa. Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction is about a self-appointed expert on love, Mr. Cazotte, who is hired by the Grand Duchess to help her secure an heir, but not everything goes according to plan.
The story of Ehrengard is about noble figures in a fictional country. But the set designs and costumes of Ehrengard were designed by the real Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Where Was Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction Filmed?
While the story of Ehrengard is located in a fictional kingdom, the Netflix period drama was filmed in real locations, mainly in Denmark and the Czech Republic. You can read more about the real film locations used for this movie in this article.
Torup Castle as Ehrengard’s Castle
The first castle we see in the movie is where Ehrengard is fencing. These castle scenes are filmed at Torup Castle. Torup Castle (Torups Slott) is a 16th-century brick castle in Southern Sweden. The makers of the movie have digitally altered the castle’s appearance. A tower was added to the castle, and in the movie, it is set in a beautiful setting with mountains for a more fairytale setting.
Kronovall Castle as Babenhausen Castle
The Babenhausen Castle is the home of the Grand Duchess and the Grand Duke. The scenes at this castle were filmed at Kronovall Castle in Sweden.
The makers of the movie did make the castle grander than it is in real life. An extra floor was added to the castle’s exterior, and it has been given a fairytale setting with mountains and picturesque houses.
Kronovall Castle is a late 19th-century Baroque chateau castle in the Skane region of Southern Sweden. Much of the interiors are in their original state, including the grand room where we first see Mr. Cazotte painting the Grand Duchess.
The gardens of Kronovall Castle are also used in the Ehrengard movie. You can see them during a conversation between Mr. Cazotte and the Grand Duchess about a potential future wife for her son.
Selsø Castle
Selsø Castle was built in 1570 by nobleman Jakob Ulfeldt, one of the richest men in Denmark. From the outside, the castle has retained its Renaissance appearance, but the interiors were rebuilt in Baroque style by Christian Ludvig von Plessen.
He enlisted Hendrick Krock, the favorite painter at the time, who also created works for Royal castles like Rosenborg, Fredensborg, and Frederiksberg Castle. The interiors now feature painted and marbled panels, painted floors, and paintings by Krock.
The castle is now used as a museum.
Buchlovice Castle as Leuchenstein Castle
The fictional Leuchenstein Castle is the home of Ludmilla and her family. Mr. Cazotte paints a family portrait and takes the young prince with him as his “apprentice.” The Leuchtenstein Castle scenes are filmed at Buchlovice Castle in the Czech Republic.
Buchlovice Castle is a chateau in the Zlín Region that was built by Jan Dětřich of Petřwald when the nearby Buchlov Castle became too uncomfortable in the 17th century. The castle is a copy of a Baroque Italian villa by Domenico Martinelli, and it’s one of the most Romanic buildings in the Czech Republic.
Český Krumlov Castle as Babenhausen
Many town scenes are filmed at Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Czech Republic. The historic center features the Český Krumlov Castle, dating back to 1240 when the Vitkovci family, a powerful Bohemian Rosenberg family, built the castle.
The castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. It also features one of the best preserved Baroque theaters, comparable to the Queen’s Theater in Versailles, the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in Sweden, and the Margravial Opera House.
Turebyholm as Rosenbad
Rosenbad is the fictional caste where Prince Lothar and his new wife, Princess Ludmilla, go into hiding. The Rosenbad scenes are filmed at several locations. One of the film locations is Turebyholm in Tureby.
Turebyholm is a manor house located around fifty kilometers south of Copenhagen. The house was bought by the Moltke family in 1746, and it remains in the family to this day.
The Rococo style of the manor house dates from 1750, when this house was constructed by the royal architect Niels Eigtved. Adam Gottlob Mltke was made a count in 1750 and the old main building was turned into a pleasure pavilion for when the king visited him on the estate.
Gl. Holtegaard as Rosenbad
Gl. Holtegaard (or Gamle Holtegård) is a former manor house north of Copenhagen. The manor house was used as one of the Rosenbad locations in Ehrengard.
The manor house was built by architect Lauritz de Thurah in 1757 in a Baroque style, and to this day, it looks much like it did back then. Surrounding the manor house lie Baroque gardens that were reconstructed in 2004.
Today, the manor house is used as an arts center and museum.
Ledreborg Slot
Ledreborg Palace (or Ledreborg Castle) is a Baroque palace in the Skjoldungernes Land National Park on the Danish island of Zealand. The castle dates back to the 16th century, but it was in 1739 when Johan Ludvig Holstein bought the property and transformed it into one of the finest mansions in Denmark.
Architect Johan Cornelius Krieger, who also worked on various Royal palaces, extended the building and added a chapel. The mansion has a monumental staircase designed by Jacob Fortling, and the interiors are mainly in Rococo style by the hand of Niels Eigtved. Surrounding the palace lies a terraced Baroque park.
During the Summer months, a guided tour of Ledrebrog Castle is offered.
Frederiksborg Castle Chapel as Babenhausen Church
There are two church scenes in Ehrengard, and they are filmed in the Fredriksborg Castle Chapel. The Frederiksborg Castle Chapel is located in the west wing of the castle. The chapel was built in 1617, and it’s the best-preserved part of the Renaissance castle, as most of the castle was destroyed during a fire in 1859.
The richly decorated church was built as the private chapel of the Danish Royal family, and during the absolute monarchy between 1660 and 1840, the Danish Kings were anointed at the chapel.
The chapel has an Esajas Compenius organ built in 1610 and gifted to King Christian IV by his sister, the Duchess of Braunschweig-WolfenBüttel. Today, the chapel is the parish church and part of the National History Museum Fredriksborg Castle.
Sagnlandet Lejre
Some scenes in Ehrengard were filmed at the Sagnlandet Lejre, also known as the “Land of Legends”, an archaeological open-air museum near Roskilde. The museum shows reconstructions of an Iron Age village and sacrificial bog, a Viking marketplace, a Stone Age campsite, an 18th-century farmstead, and various grave monuments.
Det Ny Teater
Det Ny Teater (The New Theatre) is an early 20th-century theater in Copenhagen. The theater is loosely inspired by the Paris Opera and showcases a mixture of styles like classical trompe-l’œil effects, Greek capitals, and Art Deco elements.
Malmö Radhus as Babenhausen Castle
The scene where Mr. Cazotte first meets Ehrengard when she’s looking at the painting of the Grand Duchess is filmed at the Malmö Rådhus.
Malmö is, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, the third largest city in Sweden. Rådhus is the Swedish word for Town Hall, and the Malmö Rådhus is a beautiful historic town hall in the heart of Malmö’s old town.
The Malmö Town Hall was built in the 16th century when Malmö was one of the largest cities in the Nordic countries. In the 1860s, the town hall got its Dutch Renaissance façade that you can still see today.
The Knutsalen (or Knut Hall in English) on the second floor of the town hall was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. The Knutsalen was used as a film location for the Ehrengard movie.
