Holiday Magazine 2023

Time to stay 22 23 …

Time to stay 22 23 … FOR FILM FANS … FÜR WISSENSDURSTIGE THE LITTLE GHOST: MYSTERIOUS THINGS FROM WERNIGERODE CASTLE When Anna Thalbach, Uwe Ochsenknecht and Herbert Knaup make a film together, we can lean back and reach for the popcorn bag: cinema is in the air. And it is above Wernigerode Castle, which has often played a leading role already. Actually, the film was supposed to be a birthday present for Otfried Preußler on his 90 th birthday. Unfortunately, the author of the children's book "The Little Ghost" died prematurely. Fortunately, he was able to release the design of the good-natured whirlwind before, who, in the film, causes mischief at the Wernigerode Castle with his distinctive facial expressions. Especially around midnight, Eulenstein Castle, alias Wernigerode Castle has been haunted for many centuries. Doors suddenly open magically and knight's armour begin to develop a life of their own. Incidentally, these were collected for the film from various cities such as Berlin and Prague. The effort for such a film shoot is immense. Depending on the production the castle and the museum are completely closed. The trams that go up to the Schlossberg and the restaurants also had to be included. During the production of the "Little Ghost" (little) guests were lucky, however, and were able to get up close: The old walls remained open at intervals during the filming: Entire school classes witnessed certain scenes and were able to look over the shoulders of the film technicians. The specially installed fountain in the castle courtyard, in which the "Little Ghost" disappears from time to time, proved to be particularly interesting. Just like in the old chest in the creaking attic. This prop is still there today and can be visited during a special tour. Does anyone still live there? This question always fascinates anew. So it is not unusual that film fanatics, children's book fans or the young at heart visit the castle several times to experience the magic of this special film location. CONTACT: Schloß Wernigerode ® GmbH schloss-wernigerode.de Herbert Knaup as master watchmaker Zifferle ©Wöbke, Claussen & Putz Filmproduktion ©Wöbke, Claussen & Putz Filmproduktion The little ghost always carries a bunch of 13 keys with him. With this he can open all the gates and doors in the castle. © KORDES & KORDES Film Süd, LEONINE Studios, WEGA Film, Clever Production There is magic at play Ida and her magical animal – the fox Rabbat Margit Auer, bestselling author of the book series "Die Schule der magischen Tiere" (The school of the magic animals) felt a little enchanted herself when she visited the filming location for "her" school for the first time. It could not have been better chosen for the filming of the second part, because for a film adaptation she had imagined the “Wintersteinschule” alias Wernigerode castle for her young reading fans exactly that way. A magical place where one could easily forget that the whole story is just a film (unfortunately) ... Guests can look forward to special film tours with particular insights into the castle. I wonder if one or two props have been left behind? From the location to the screen: The pharmacy kids want to help the ghost. ©Wöbke, Claussen & Putz Filmproduktion © KORDES & KORDES Film Süd, Fabio Spitzenberg Rabbat In order to make it as real and at the same time as magical as possible, around 120 people worked daily on set, from actors and the film team to technicians and catering. The castle remained completely closed for the filming for ten days - an immense communicative and organisational effort in advance, plus several weeks of assembling and dismantling work. In the end, the goal is always to leave the castle behind as if the filming had never taken place. Shooting on Castle Square (Schloßplatz) So is there magic involved after all? At least the castle's immediate neighbours were convinced of this last summer because a strangely bright light shone into their bedrooms in the middle of the night. Responsible for this was the stadium-bright illumination of the inner courtyard, because there they worked not only during the day ... But one thing can already be revealed: This time there will be visible traces of the "magical time" at Wernigerode Castle. What exactly that is, however, remains a secret until the release of the film in September. Coming Soon: That the castle is still in demand as a backdrop is shown by the current shooting of the fairytale film "Die Gänse Prinzessin" (The Goose Princess). Henrietta