Regular sightseeing takes you to beautiful places, but film tourism lets you step right into them and experience their own stories. Imagine walking through the monumental Zádielska Gorge and suddenly finding yourself standing in the exact spot where Owen Wilson fought for survival in the Hollywood blockbuster Behind Enemy Lines. You have to admit, doesn’t that sound like a real adventure?
Unlike standardized mass tourism, this modern trend is based on a purely individual experience and a strong emotional connection. For the modern traveler, a beautiful view alone is often not enough, as they seek deeper meaning, a story, and authenticity. The main motivation for embarking on this journey is a fascinating desire to compare the illusion created by the silver screen with the reality observed on location.
When you stand at the exact filming location, the colors, sounds, and unique atmosphere of the setting awaken vivid emotions within you. An ordinary trip suddenly turns into a personal adventure and a search for hidden gems that lie far from the mundane and well-trodden paths.
The Landscape Through the Eyes of a Director
This form of travel offers people a unique opportunity to experience the landscape through the eyes of famous directors and production designers. On the film trails of the Košice Region, traces of the past have intertwined with the present since 1958, when filmmakers in Stratená kicked off an era with the film Death in the Saddle. Visitors can thus see for themselves how individual locations have changed over the course of decades.
This year also marks several major film anniversaries, including the 25th anniversary of the Hollywood blockbuster Behind Enemy Lines, filmed in the rugged landscape of Zádiel. In the nearby village of Háj, a prop in the form of a giant statue of an angel still stands to this day. This year also marks thirty years since the filming of the fantasy movie Dragonheart, twenty years since the filming of Eragon at the iconic Tomášovský výhľad viewpoint, and a decade since the popular historical series 1890, starring Ján Koleník, which was filmed at Betliar Castle. A journey in the footsteps of the fairy tales Salt Over Gold and The World’s Greatest Ash-Man, as well as the gritty contemporary films The Line and War of the Cops, imbues Slovak nature with a unique and tangible genius loci.
If it’s tourism, let it be film tourism
For the Košice Region itself, this growing trend represents a tremendous visionary contribution. Through it, the organization Košice Región Turizmus is purposefully promoting the sustainable development of tourism throughout the region. Instead of overcrowding key tourist attractions, it draws discerning explorers to mysterious, lesser-known corners. In doing so, it effectively supports the local economy while protecting the pristine nature of national parks and the immediate surroundings of UNESCO-listed sites.
The region is thus successfully raising its profile both at home and abroad—not as a passive destination, but as a vibrant, pulsating cultural stage. Thanks to field markers with QR codes and the modern, free Smart Guide app featuring texts by expert Tomáš Galierik, our region is also gaining an invaluable image as a technologically advanced and attractive destination. If the current edition of the prestigious Art Film Fest is bringing you to the “Metropolis of the East,” take a step off the red carpet and straight into the field. The Film Trail, featuring more than a hundred unique locations, will show you that in the Košice Region, you’re not just discovering the landscape—you’re experiencing real stories.
by Košice Region Turizmus
