DISCOVER BUCHAREST WITH 'WEDNESDAY'!
CANTACUZINO CASTLE (Busteni): Nevermore Academy
Do you feel like an outcast? You’re a devoted traveller who enjoys visiting filming locations? Maybe both? In that case, you must travel to Romania and surely make a stop at Nevermore Academy (the institution for freaks and monsters) in your trip.
The famous boarding school from the Netflix show Wednesday is located only 2 hours north of Bucharest and in real life it’s known as Cantacuzino Castle (Castelul Cantacuzino), a symbol of the New-Romanian style.
In the Carpathian Mountains, this fortress was built in 1911 as a royal haunting lodge for Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, former Prime Minister of Romania. Cantacuzino is surrounded by parks and trails that lead to dreamy waterfalls and mysterious caverns.
But the wonders of this place are not only to be found outside, nowadays the castle hosts an Art Gallery which displays private collections.
Although the building was slightly altered digitally to make it more somber in the show, it will still be easy for you to imagine Wednesday walking around this castle solving some mysteries. The stained glass windows and brick walls are hard to miss.
Join this tour and step into the Nevermore Academy… and the Dracula Castle!! We’re sure Wednesday would love it!!
PALATUL MONTEORU (Bucharest): Nevermore Academy interiors.
However, if you’d like to visit for example Larissa Weems’ office or any other room inside the Academy you will have to go back to Bucharest.
The historic Palatul Monteoru was used to portray on screen some of the interiors of Nevermore Academy. This 1874 building, only 40 minutes walking away from the Parliament, witnessed the opulence and splendour of Bucharest before the outbreak of World War II.
In fact, it’s no accident that Bucharest was referred to as ‘Paris of the East’ back in the day!
As it has been mentioned, the scenes that take place at Principal Weems’ office were filmed here. But if you visit this location, keep in mind that there is no huge fireplace with Medusa’s shape to be found inside Monteoru, this detail was added by the art department.
But there’s something you’ll, of course, recognise, the grand marble staircase Wednesday descends down to meet Tyler before the ball!
In case so many filming locations have left you a bit hungry, there is a restaurant inside the building (Il Gattopardo Blu). And it’s the perfect place to recharge before our next stop!
CASA NICULESCU-DOROBANTU (Bucharest): Nevermore Academy corridors.
In order to recreate the ancient and Gothic corridors in Nevermore Academy that we see on episode eight, the TV show packed all the cameras and moved to a mansion located only 500m away from Monteoru: Casa Niculescu-Dorobantu.
This castle-like building was built between 1896 and 1911 with a French neo-Gothic style. And its stained glass windows suited perfectly the enigmatic atmosphere the corridors inside the Academy had to have. Open to the public!
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN (Bucharest): Nevermore Academy greenhouse.
On the other side of the river, located to the southwest of the city we find The Botanical Garden of Bucharest (Grădina Botanică Dimitrie Brândză).
Its antique greenhouses double in the show as the Nevermore Academy greenhouses where the students learn about carnivorous plants.
You won’t encounter any Nevermore student doing witchy stuff if you take a walk around the green areas or you visit the exhibitions (sorry). However, what you can actually admire inside this Botanical Garden opened in 1891, is more than 5.000 different plant species.
To get more information about opening hours and fees, please, visit the Botanical Garden official webpage here.
POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY (Bucharest): Nancy Reagan High School in the show.
We exit Nevermore Academy for a brief moment to visit the swimming pool where Wednesday releases a bunch of piranhas in the opening scene of the show. The corridors inside Politehnica University of Bucharest (Universitatea Politehnica din București) were the Nancy Raegan High School, the institution Wednesday is expelled from for defending her brother before being enrol in Nevermore.
The university was founded in 1818 and it’s classified by the Romanian Ministry of Education as an advanced research and education university. So nothing about predatory fishes inside its walls.
In fact, the scene with the piranhas specifically was filmed at the olympic swimming and polo pool of the Dinamo Sports Club (Bazinul de Înot Dinamo Tolea Grințescu) in the northern part of the city. We can assure you no fishes were harmed during production (nor any student… but don’t tell Wednesday).
BUFTEA STUDIOS (Bucharest): Jericho town & Nevermore sets.
In the show, Jericho is a secluded town from civilization. An entire location the production team built at Bucharest Buftea Studios (Studiourile Buftea), an hour outside the city.
The picturesque white houses and quaint streets mimic the real New England architecture, and the job was so well done that walking around this set is just like being in an American town but in Eastern Europe!
Buftea Studios is the largest and most advanced studio complex in Romania, and inside its facilities there can be found other Wednesday sets such as Wednesday and Enid’s room, the Academy courtyard or the Joseph Crackstone crypt.
This film studio offers guided tours so everyone can explore Wednesday eerie world and also discover all the behind the camera tricks (and magic) needed to film a show. An immersive cinema experience!
With this guided Buftea Studios tour you’ll visit the real sets from this amazing Netflix show!
GARA REGALA (Sinaia): Burlington Station in the show.
The only real filming location from Jericho, and therefore a place which already existed before Wednesday arrived to Romania, is the train station called Burlington Station in the show.
In reality, this is Gara Regala, a station that communicates the town of Sinaia and its mountain resort with the rest of the country. Located in the historical region of Muntenia only two hours north of Bucharest.
The first train station was built back in 1913 and it was exclusively used by the royal family and by the guests at Peleș Castle (Castelul Peleș), who usually were foreign leaders.
THE OLGA GRECEANU MANSON (Bâlteni): The abandoned Gates House in the show.
In Dâmbovița a county of Romania, there is a small village called Bălteni only two hours north of Bucharest. Here, it stands the sinister Gates House, the family home of Garret Gates in the Netflix show, the normie Gomez Addams was once accused of murdering.
But do not worry if you plan to visit this mansion, because in real life it’s not related to any violent death. Actually, this countryside house was once property of the Romanian writer and painter Olga Greceanu (Conacul Olga Greceanu) and now it’s a national monument in Romania.
The production team put a lot of effort in making it look like an abandoned house! Do you want to check these changes for yourself?
Click here to visit the abandoned Gates House and other chilling filming location from Wednesday!
BRANESTI AND STERBEI LAKES (Brănești): The Poe Cup.
Do you remember the Poe Cup race? Yes, the one where Wednesday and Enid managed to break a new record rowing over to Raven Island (and also beat the popular siren student Bianca Barclay at this water sport).
Well, those scenes where filmed across two lakes near Bucharest called Brănești and Sterbei.
These lakes are a haven of peace in a town named Brănești located just outside the capital city of Bucharest. And, therefore, you will not see any aggressive rowing competition around here, but rather some peaceful fishermen along their shores.
