Though set in the intentionally ambiguous “Middle Europe”, HBO’s political satire The Regime was shot in a variety of real locations across the continent that inspired it. The limited series stars Kate Winslet as the fictional leader Chancellor Elena Vernham, and the primary action of the pilot episode occurs within the ornate and possibly moisture-filled walls of her regal homestead.
The Regime’s Main Filming Location
Chancellor Elena Vernham’s seat of government may look vaguely familiar to some Eagle-eyed viewers, as it’s a modified version of Austria’s Schönbrunn Palace. The Regime’s creative team added CGI flares to the existing Schönbrunn Palace in order to give it a distinct look for the series. In a conversation with Decider, The Regime showrunner Will Tracy described the Austrian palace as, “sort of grand and a bit baroque and it looks as though it’s been sort of added on to over the years”.
Unlike many television series that scope out an eye-catching locale solely for exterior shots, The Regime actually filmed within Schönbrunn Palace itself. Though Schönbrunn was not the only location that contributed to the overall look of Elena Vernham’s residence, famous portions of the building were used, such as the Bergl Rooms, with their distinctive landscape murals. Herbert Zubak’s first official day on the job as the Chancellor’s personal moisture detector starts in the Bergl Rooms, but other chambers within The Regime‘s fictionalized version of Schönbrunn Palace were shot elsewhere across Austria.
Elena Vernham’s Palace Represents a Medley of Real Locations
While Tracy disclosed that Schönbrunn Palace played a large role in The Regime’s visual influence and inspiration, it wasn’t the only filming location utilized in bringing Chancellor Elena Vernham’s palace to life. Rooms from Austria’s Liechtenstein City Palace, Palais Pallavicini, and Hofburg were all featured in The Regime’s pilot as a part of the panoply that made up the Chancellor’s eclectic home. As the principal palace of the Habsburg Dynasty, Hofburg plays a particularly important role in the voice of The Regime, which takes aesthetic influence from the Habsburg era.
Vienna proved a lush locale for Tracy, who noted that he was pleasantly surprised to find the country had not suffered the over-filming common in other European locations. However, to fully capture The Regime’s collection of visual influences, Austria was not the show’s only filming location. Shots at Esher Palace and Sheffield Botanical Garden in the United Kingdom were likewise featured in The Regime’s pilot to further fill out Elena’s vast estate.
Tracy commented on his fortune to have experienced directors such as Stephen Frears and Jessica Hobbs aboard The Regime. “No one alive shoots inside palaces or has more experience in them than [Frears]”, Tracy beamed to Decider about the director behind Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen, and A Very British Scandal. Hobbs boasts a similarly regal pedigree from her time directing Netflix’s The Crown.
Though Winslet’s Elena Verna starts the series reclusively lurking within her palace, The Regime will likely travel outside of its fictionalized rendition of Schönbrunn Palace for future episodes. The notion of a countryside getaway was floated out by a member of Elena’s council in the pilot, and the limited series’ official trailer features a mix of both natural and urban settings that seem to traverse outside the walls of Elena’s restrictive world, introduced in the pilot.
Hopefully that clears up any questions about where The Regime was filmed!
