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Karl-Marx-Allee sunset
Karl-Marx-Allee with sunset © iStock.com, Foto: querbeet

Queen’s Gambit: Karl-Marx-Allee

Berlin as Moskau

The hit production Queen's Gambit is set in the USA, Moscow and Paris, but was mostly filmed in and around Berlin. It tells the story of the chess genius Beth, who excels at the chessboard but has to struggle with inner demons.

For a scene in the shop where Beth gets new clothes, the Humana Secondhand & Vintage department stores' at Frankfurter Tor was used as the location. Incidentally, Etsy from Unorthodox also bought her first pair of jeans here.

Other locations for the series set in the 1950s were the elegant Palais am Funkturm and the foyer of the Friedrichstadt-Palast.
The legendary Hansa sound studio in Kreuzberg, where David Bowie, Depeche Mode and U2 recorded their music, also served as a backdrop for a chess tournament.
Karl-Marx-Allee serves as a convincing backdrop for scenes set in Moscow, where Beth ends up running through the streets.

Incidentally, Karl-Marx-Allee was already the perfect Moscow backdrop in the Bourne films with Matt Damon.