Maria Theresa

ABOUT THE FILM

Two-part project Maria Theresa is based on two crucial moments in the life of the young ruler - one is the story of her childhood love and later marriage to František Štěpán of Lorraine, the other is her accession to the throne and the acquisition of the Hungarian crown. At the same time, the film offers a monumental visual spectacle of important events in our history, such as the coronation of Charles VI as King of Bohemia at Prague Castle or Maria Theresa as Queen of Hungary at St. Martin's Cathedral in present-day Bratislava. You will also see balls and banquets at the imperial court, the cruise of the Empress on the Danube or the blessing of the Austro-Hungarian armies.

TV miniseries
Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary / 2017
filming in JMK: Valtice Castle
Photo credit: Vrabelová / Czech Television
theme and script: Mirka Zlatníková
directed by Robert Dornhelm
they're playing: Marie-Luise Stockinger, Vojtěch Kotek, Zuzana Stivínová, Tatiana Pauhofová, Vladimír Javorský, Jan Budař, Zuzana Mauréry, Martin Pechlát and others

ABOUT FILMING LOCATIONS

Valtice Castle

On the site of today's castle Valtice originally stood a Gothic castle founded in the 12th century. In 1530 it became the residence of the princely House of Liechtenstein, who over the centuries turned it into a large mansion with a castle complex. Its current form was given by a number of important architects of the 17th and 18th centuries - Anton Ospel, Anton Erhard Martinelli and Antonio Beduzzi. In 1996, the castle and its grounds, including buildings such as the Diana's Temple and the Colonnade on Rajstna, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

INTERESTING FACT FROM THE SHOOTING

The palace interiors in the film represent the rooms of the Hofburg, the imperial residence in Vienna. The room in which the newlywed games of Princess Maria Theresa and Franz Stephan were filmed has been returned to a more historically faithful form after filming and now has gold wallpaper instead of red, while the other interiors of the castle have remained unchanged. Other rooms served as Charles VI's study or the family dining room. The crew also used the corridors, the Baroque chapel, the courtyard and the castle park for filming. On the TV screens you could see an incredible 2,500 costumes, 500 wigs and a total of 2,000 extras.