Top 10: Famous film sets

In 1993, the district of Mödling in Lower Austria had a distinguished visitor: Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris O' Donnell travelled here to film The Three Musketeers. Along with their entourage. Important scenes from the Hollywood film were shot against the backdrop of Perchtoldsdorf Castle, Liechtenstein Castle and the lake grotto in Hinterbrühl. For the final scene, for example, the courtyard of Perchtoldsdorf Castle was transformed into a medieval marketplace complete with guillotine. The setting is ideal: Its oldest walls date back to the early 11th century. As a stone tower castle with ramparts and a moat, it has withstood numerous attacks over the course of history, but has also been destroyed time and again or misused as a storage site. The castle was revitalised in the 1960s and most recently transformed into a modern event location in 2010. The historic walls have been preserved. The extras from the surrounding area had their dress rehearsal at 6.00 am. Then they roamed the market square for hours or stood on their feet. At least they got autographs in return.

This backdrop is also in Lower Austria. Kreuzenstein Castle is a favourite castle of filmmakers. More than 100 productions have been filmed here. The most famous blockbusters to feature Kreuzenstein Castle include Season of the Witch with Nicolas Cage. Scenes from the Netflix series The Witcher were also shot here. The castle was mentioned in documents as early as the 12th century. After it was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War and lay dormant for a long time, an entrepreneur had it rebuilt in 1906. Today it is a so-called show castle or museum. Its location on a hill near Leobendorf not only makes for idyllic shots from afar, the film crews also seem to appreciate the proximity to Vienna and the commitment of the castle's owners.

All Harry Potter fans know this building. After all, its cloisters were the backdrop to the extensive corridors in Hogwarts School of Magic. The monks' lavatory can also be found here. And the wall from The Chamber of Secrets, on which a warning sign appears in a key scene, is originally located in this cathedral. The church from the early Middle Ages is typical of the English style of Gothic architecture in the Perpendicular style. 123 metres long, 42 metres wide and with a 68-metre-high tower, the cathedral is probably visited by more fans than worshippers today. With its distinctive style, it is a quiet but all the more important protagonist with recognition value.

Completely different scenes were filmed in the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. After films such as Rush Hour 2 and Lucky You, the luxury building celebrated its breakthrough with Ocean's Eleven. In the 2001 gangster flick starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, locations such as the botanical garden, the casino and the entrance area of the Bellagio, including the impressive water feature, are glamorously staged. Las Vegas has a long tradition as a film location and sees the film industry as an important economic factor in the region. The Bellagio hotel is still quite young. It was opened in 1998. The complex includes a 3.2 hectare artificial lake, a shopping arcade called Via Bellagio, a casino and two wedding chapels.

The Vienna State Opera made a very big appearance in the fifth instalment of the blockbuster series Mission: Impossible. In Rogue Nation, lead actor Tom Cruise chases an alleged terrorist through the entire opera house. On the screen you can see the grand staircase, the auditorium and the area in front of the entrance. Fans and onlookers got to see the most spectacular clips during filming on the roof of the Vienna State Opera. The neo-Renaissance building with its imposing copper roof and elegant furnishings was perfectly showcased. And by the way: after the Second World War, PORR was heavily involved in the reconstruction of Austria. PORR also gave prestigious buildings on the Vienna Ring new splendour. This also includes the Vienna State Opera.

Our next superstar is the Villa Stein by star architect Le Corbusier. It was the model for all the exterior shots of the house in the film Oscar with Louis de Funes. Unfortunately, the interior from the film is not behind the real façade. For the interior scenes, everything - from the spiral staircase to the training room, from the office to the atrium - was built and shot in the studio. And yet the location deserves top billing. After all, the art of acting consists of portraying fiction as reality. In this respect, the appearance of Villa Stein is almost ripe for an Oscar.

Aït-Ben-Haddou is a historic desert town in Morocco and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The traditional mud buildings, alleyways and squares of Aït-Ben-Haddou have played a leading role in countless films. The most famous include Gladiator, The Mummy, Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven and Prince of Persia. Scenes for Game of Thrones were also filmed here. Parts of the city are still permanently inhabited today. There are sightseeing tours for fans. The fortified village, Ksar, with its residential towers and battlements made of rammed earth, is worth seeing even without Hollywood glamour.

At 14 Moore Street, New York City, there is an eerily famous building: a fire station of the New York City Fire Department, better known as the headquarters of the Ghostbusters. The 1984 comedy film enjoyed cult status at the time. Ghostbusters grossed USD 291.6 million worldwide and was one of the ten most successful films of all time. Alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Segourney Weaver, the brick building from 1903 also cuts a fine figure. To this day, the building, which still serves as a fire station, has not lost its ghostbuster look. The ECTO-1 ghost hunter's van seems to be leaving the garage at any moment to investigate paranormal phenomena.

The abandoned Ta Prohm temple complex in Cambodia was an impressive location in the blockbuster Tomb Raider. In the action film, heroine Lara Croft wanders through the ruins from the 12th century in search of her father's legacy. The huge tree roots growing on the ancient walls are truly impressive at this historic site. Even leading actress Angelina Jolie looks pale in front of the imposing shots of the temple complex. Ta Prohm has been legendary since the cinema release of Tomb Raider.

The Tokyo Tower is probably the most famous star among film sets. Probably no other building has been destroyed more often than this television tower - or at least models of it. The Tokyo Tower was built in 1958 and modelled on the Eiffel Tower. At 332.6 metres, it is one of the tallest self-supporting steel towers in the world. The tower made film history in 1967 with King Kong Escapes, when King Kong climbs the tower at the end - an unforgettable scene. The Tokyo Tower also features prominently in the modern Godzilla film from 2004. In 1967, James Bond had business at the landmark in You Only Live Twice. Of course, the tower is also an integral part of Japanese productions and anime. A Japanese film entitled Tokyo Tower was released in 2005.