We went to the Pilsen Region to find an interesting location that ‘mere mortals’ could not easily reach. The Hrádek ironworks near Rokycany represent a mix of monumentality and the romance of a lively industrial location. Just 30 minutes from Pilsen and only an hour and a quarter from Prague, the location offers filmmakers a breathtaking combination of an iron and steel industry works established over a century ago, along with abandoned, unused spaces each with an unmistakable genius loci, which are almost unlimited.
The founding of Hrádek ironworks dates back to 1900, when the local hammer mill was purchased by the entrepreneur Rudolf L. Hudlický. A year later, a modernized iron works, which mainly produced iron tools for farmers, gardeners and miners, started operating there. Hudlický gradually built a rolling mill, a gray iron foundry and, in the period 1912-1915, began construction of a concrete structure, the Siemens-Martin Steelworks, designed by architect Stanislav Bechyně along with the adjacent rolling mill. Shortly thereafter, the company merged with the Škoda works in Pilsen. The area expanded, producing a drawing plant of glossy iron, rolled plow blades, mechanical workshops and a power plant. | Photo: Viktor Mácha
Before 1989, the Hrádek steelworks were part of United Steel Works, having been absorbed by the state company after nationalization. A new steel plant with three arc furnaces was built in the 1960s. At present, the company is operated by the Czech company Z-Group metallurgical group, and in addition to a pair of Martin furnaces (shut down in 2001 after 88 years of continuous operation), the remaining equipment serves its original purpose. It produces mainly ingots and various types of steel bars.
“Apart from the production halls, which are still in operation, there are also various unused premises – an abandoned medical center, a library, various offices and meeting rooms. A huge advantage for filmmakers is that they can do virtually whatever they like with the space, while capturing the unique atmosphere of their time. On top of all that, there’s a hint of an abandoned ‘town within town’, and so a film location with amazing potential,” says Radka Šámalová from the Pilsen Region Film Office.
“The Hrádek steelworks are film friendly and open to film productions. They were a major film location for the film The Karamazovs (2008). With the current phenomenon – the society’s passion for the beauty and use of industrial spaces – these spaces are shot now more than ever. We’d be pleased for them to be filmed and on screens even more,” adds Šámalová.
For information about filming in the Pilsen Region contact Radka Šámalová, radka.samalova@filmplzen.cz,+420 737 190 798.