Are you ready for Winnetou, the next generation?
Throughout this week, final preparations are being made in the Fužine area near Rijeka where the filming of scenes for the new series of films based on the books by Karl May about the Indian chief named Winnetou will take place. The filmmakers, mainly from Germany, but a large number of them from Croatia as well, have built in recent months a little western cowboy town which even includes a small cemetery. But, the real construction achievement is undoubtedly the construction of the railway bridge several hundred metres long, reports Novi List on August 13, 2015.
In addition to the location in the woods, the filmmakers have occupied two halls in the Lič business zone where they produce most of what is needed for set designs. Their goal is to recreate for viewers the nineteenth century American Wild West. The original films of this series were filmed in Croatia in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the films about Winnetou and his friend Old Shatterhand are very popular in Europe, especially in Germany, the German producers have decided to renew the series.
The mayor of Fužine Marinko Kauzlarić explained what this project means for his municipality. “While searching for filming locations, producers came to Fužine and were delighted with the beauty of nature. We had a lucky break as well – near the site of the filming the ice storm had downed many trees, which meant that they didn’t need to cut them down themselves. After the area was cleared of fallen trees, they started the construction of the necessary sets”, said Kauzlarić. “Local mills have already delivered a good deal of material for the construction of buildings, and many other craftsmen are included in the project as well. It is beneficial for our tourism industry, since there are seventy people here who work on the film. Of course, we are doing everything to be best possible hosts so we could cooperate in the future as well.”
“One of the possible ways we could use this cowboy town would be to preserve the settlement after filming and turn it into a new tourist centre which we would offer to potential visitors, especially those from Germany who like to go to locations where their favorite movies were filmed”, said Marinko Kauzlarić.
