Louny is well-known to filmmakers. This picturesque town of almost 20,000 – “The Pearl of the Ohře (Eger) River” – is located in the Ústí Region, bordered on the north by the Czech Central Mountains Protected Landscape Area and on the south and west by a vast Saaz hop-growing region, the oldest and largest in the country. However, we’ve focused our spotlight on something different – the Louny Fairground and its main pavilion.
The fairground’s main pavilion - Pavilion A - was built in 1931 on the occasion of the General Regional Exhibition, visited by then Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The central plan building in functionalist style was designed by the architect Otakar Polák. Photo: Czech Film Commission
The Louny Fairground is located at the Masaryk Gardens in the northwest part of the city and is the venue for sales and presentation exhibitions and trade fairs. It has park landscaping and is bordered on three sides by the Eger River. Pavilion A recently underwent a full renovation, which was completed in 2018. Its pre-war form was preserved and the café on the first floor was furnished with period furniture.
“Thanks to the successful renovation, this functionalist building is the only one of its kind in the Ústí Region. This building plus the other pavilions and the fairground infrastructure create an ideal site for filmmaking,” said Barbora Hyšková of the Ústí Region Film Office.
The Louny Fairground offers four brick-and-mortar exhibition halls with a total area of 1,550 square meters. If needed, there are another four prefabricated pavilions that provide fully functional interior spaces. There are an additional 4,500 square meters of outdoor space, comprising of grassy areas and asphalt roads. The complex also includes a restaurant, restrooms, and other entertainment facilities, such as an outdoor cinema, tennis courts, a baseball fields, and a children’s playground. Diamant Expo has managed the fairgrounds since 1994.
“We’re delighted that the Ústí Region has become such popular place for filming, due in no small part to the efforts of the Film Office. We are so glad that Louny is part of this and we are pleased to have filmmakers shoot here. Our city can certainly offer interesting and impressive locations and a friendly approach to film crews,” said Mayor of Louny Pavel Janda.
Filming in the Ústí Region: Ústí Region Film Office, Barbora Hyšková, +420 778 494 321, hyskova.b@kr-ustecky.cz / Helena Matuščinová, matuscinova.h@kr-ustecky.cz, +420 475 657 720
