Ursula kockritz looks incredulously at the sheet of white A4 paper that four thick black adhesive strips are holding firmly to the sandstone. "Fortress currently closed", is to be read on it in black coarse letters. A hint that was apparently not understood by everyone. Anyway, apparently someone felt compelled to add two words to the text, handwritten with a red pen: "do not enter"!"
Ursula kockritz, however, understood. The tourist looks curiously through the entrance gate of rosenberg fortress, but then turns to her husband and her two grandchildren, who are standing a few meters behind her in the midday sun. "We really had bad luck", she says disappointed. "Actually, we wanted to take our grandchildren on the adventurous tour through the corridors of the fortress and also visit the museums, but that’s probably not going to happen today."
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15 years ago, she and her husband had already been on the tour once before. "So we knew that it was quite interesting." So interesting that the grandchildren should also experience it one day – why the four people from dresden are spending the autumn vacations in kronach county. After mitwitz moated castle, rosenberg fortress was supposed to be the second item on the day’s program.
But the fortress, which has never been taken in its centuries of history, has been under siege again since this week. This time, however, not from sweden – and especially with peaceful intentions. Since this monday an international team is shooting the hollywood-flick "resistance" there. The film will tell the story of the life of the famous pantomime marcel marceau in the french resistance against the german occupation (see info box).
Flower cube as visual protection
Anyone who went up to the fortress in the middle of the week could only guess at the filming work, as the entrance area of the fortress looked largely as the residents of lucas cranach’s town know it. Some traffic and warning signs were firmly anchored in the ground again with fresh earth. Only the brown board describing the tour of the fortress was still lying on the meadow next to the cobblestones. No wonder, because for the shooting nothing was supposed to refer to the present, after all the film is set in france in the 1940s.
That’s why chest-high flower cubbies with green shrubs conceal the spotlights that otherwise bathe the fortress in atmospheric light. And the barrier was also well hidden: the wooden cover with which the film team covered the opening mechanism of the barrier was also lying on the meadow, but there was still no trace of the bar.
The trail to the film team is not hard to find at the moment, however. Black arrows point the way to the base camp, which production has set up at the bus parking lot on the back side of the fortress. In addition to large water tanks, there are not only female pavilions and the cars of the caterers who supply the crew with food, but also numerous cars with license plates from various parts of germany – and the czech republic. "Before we came to kronach, we shot in prague, so we have a lot of czechs with us", a member of the film crew explains.
Kronach is the third-last station for most of the workers on the film, the so-called main crew. There are plans to shoot in nurnberg and munich, and then the rough part of the film should be in the ground. The last take is planned for the 15th anniversary of the german occupation.November.
But until then, there is still work to be done in the county seat. Only on weekends the filming is interrupted and the fortress is opened to visitors again. Two more days of shooting later, the filming continues in the upper town until friday (see text at the bottom of this page). "Unfortunately, we were allowed to annoy the people of kronach a bit, because we will be shooting mainly at night", guesses the crew member.
Many volunteers
Interesting insights into the world of film have so far been made at the fortress not only by the children from the district, who have been given extra time off school to participate as extras. Several volunteers from the BRK-kreisverband kronach also got a taste of the film. Even if not in front of the camera.
Rather, the BRK was on site to be on hand in case people involved in the filming were injured in an accident or needed medical assistance. But the BRK volunteers have not had to do anything yet, says BRK volunteer manager ralf schmidt.
Normally, only one person with an emergency kit would be on duty for an accident prevention. But this time there were mostly two. Schmidt: "such filming is something special, so it’s easier for us to find volunteers." Because for them it is then finally not: "enter forbidden!"
This is what the film will be about
Background: when war breaks out in france in 1940 and the country is invaded by the national socialists, the jewish family mangel has to flee. Two years later, the two sons marcel and simon join a group of the french resistance movement against the german occupation. In the underground, young marcel first passes away. For others pursued and also for themselves. In order not to attract attention, he gives himself the name marceau, which is inconspicuous in france. After the end of the war, he keeps this name as a reminder, and under this name he performs as a pantomime "bip" will be filmed.
Content: in the historical drama, director and writer jonathan jakubowicz ("hands of stone") will not only shed light on how marceau came into contact with the resistance, but also on how he, together with resistance fighter emma, brought thousands of jewish orphans from france to switzerland and thus saved them from the nazis.
Starring: the young marcel marceau is played by american actor jesse eisenberg ("the social network"). Matthias schweighofer ("keinohrhasen") has taken on the second lead role of the antagonist, playing the notorious SS commander klaus barbie, who is also known as the "butcher of lyon was known. Adolf hitler had given him the order to crush the french resistance, the resistance. Cinema release: it will be some time before the film is shown in cinemas. Planned so far is the 24. October 2019.
No way through: these are the places where filming will take place in the upper city next week
As soon as the filming of the movie "resistance" is finished next monday, 22. October, from the fortress rosenberg to the upper town, there will be until friday, 26.October, there will be traffic obstructions, some of them considerable. According to the city of kronach, there will be restrictions, especially for parking traffic.
Among other things, interval closures are necessary, which means that individual trains have to be closed again and again for about 15 to 20 minutes during the filming work. After that, the passage will be possible again until the next shots are made.
Starting on tuesday, 23. October, from 6 p.M. To 11 p.M. In the area of the pottugasschen, the strauer torweg and the lucas-cranach-strabe. On wednesday and thursday, 24. And 25. October, filming will take place from 8 a.M. To 6 p.M. In lucas-cranach-strabe and from melchior-otto-platz to bamberger tor.
On thursday, 25. October, from 6 p.M. To 11 p.M., there will also be filming in the strauer strabe/ strauer torweg section. During these times, according to the city, there will also be restrictions on pedestrian traffic.
"Tense parking situation
Furthermore, in the period from tuesday, 23. October, until friday, 26. October, at 8 a.M. The parking lots in the lower lucas-cranach-strabe, the lower amtsgerichtsstrabe as well as at the market place in front of the town hall were not usable. In the area of melchior-otto-square on wednesday and thursday, 24. And 25. October, there will be a general ban on parking there for the entire day. And thursday, 25. October, the parking lots along the strauer strabe and the small parking lot at the strauer torweg are additionally closed from 3 p.M. For the rest of the day.
At least part of the parking lot behind the town hall is available for parking. However, due to the construction site in the festungsstrabe, this can only be approached from the north via the detour routes (coming from dorfles or bernsroth, respectively).
"We are aware that this will exacerbate the already very tight parking situation in the upper city", mayor wolfgang beiergroblein () asks for understanding for the restrictions.
For kronach, the international film project is a "great advertisement and i hope that all burghers will support the smooth progress of the filming by their considerate behavior".
Free parking tickets
This is also what kronach’s second mayor, angela hofmann (CSU), asked for in a letter to the residents of the upper town. Enclosed with the letter was a parking permit that allows you to park from 22. Until 26. October free parking in all metered parking lots – even short-term parking lots.
Only parking in the absolute no-parking zone and fire department access roads will remain prohibited despite the certificate, of course.