Arena, Hanging Tree, District 12? The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Rumored Filming Locations

Centennial Hall in Wrocław, Poland, and Landschaftspark in Duisburg, Germany are some of the recently discovered filming locations for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film currently in production. 

POLAND

Centennial Hall

Some of the actors cast as tributes were recently spotted near Centennial Hall in Wroclaw Poland, along with shuttle vans bearing butterfly stickers in their windows (the working title for the production is Butterfly), lots of screened off areas, set lights, production trucks and trailers, some Peacekeepers in uniform and some Panem posters and symbols.

Image via @BalladofPanem on twitterImage via @BalladofPanem on twitter

The grand, imposing Centennial Hall could definitely stand in for the Arena in The Battle of Songbirds and Snakes. The book describes the arena as decaying and in disrepair, never maintained between Hunger Games, though there is “grandeur that defied even the decay.” (Chapter 9).

“In its day, the huge, state-of-the-art amphitheater had been the site of many an exciting sporting, entertainment, or military event.”

• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Chapter 9

 Centennial Hall

Centennial Hall was erected in 1911-1913 by architect Max Berg as a multi-purpose recreational building and is a landmark in the history of reinforced concrete architecture. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. It’s now a tourist attraction, hosting numerous conferences, sports and music events, and is close to other popular spots like the Wrocław Zoo, the Japanese Garden, and the Pergola with its Multimedia Fountain. 

While a lot of people are speculating that Cenetennial Hall is going to be used as the arena based on only seeing the actors cast as tributes in the area, it could also be a great location stand-in for The Academy, the elite secondary school in the Capitol for the children of the wealthy and powerful. 

“The grand staircase up to the academy could hold the entire student body.”

 - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Chapter 1

Or The Citadel, a military facility in the Capitol which houses Dr. Gaul’s muttation lab and the War Department.

“…he walked to the imposing structure known as the Citadel, which housed the War Department.

 - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Chapter 7

The Wrocław Zoo is adjacent to Centennial Hall

Inside The Wrocław Zoo
The Wrocław Zoo is adjacent to Centennial Hall which would be perfect for filming the zoo scenes. There are several areas within the zoo where you could easily imagine those scenes taking place. This location is purely fandom speculation due to proximity - but it would make total sense to film there. 

“A shallow moat that ran between the rocky structures and the bars of the monkey house had once formed a watery barrier between the animals and the visitors, but it was bone dry now.”

• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Chapter 4

GERMANY 

We know from open casting calls that filming for TBOSAS is supposed to start in the Duisburg area, Hattingen, and Cologne, Germany on August 15th, and run until September 2nd. Another casting call says filming will take place in the Berlin/Brandenburg area in September/October.

It looks like they're getting things ready for filming in Duisburg. Fans have been posting photos and videos from the Landschaftspark area in Duisburg, Germany on social media showing a large prop tree in the center of the lake with blue screen at the top, probably for post production vfx (see video at the top of the post).

Photo via @braininger on instagramImage via @BalladofSongbirds on instagram

Fans have spotted carts with coal, and, again, lots of screened off areas, trucks with props, etc. The industrial style of the area would lend itself to be an excellent stand-in for District 12, and the tree is an obvious place to film the Hanging Tree scene in District 12.

Image via @BalladofSongbirds on instagramImage via @BalladofSongbirds on instagram

Special thanks to:

Video via from tik tok user @silan______

Photos from @hg_fanboy @balladofpanem & @BalladofSongbirds @zimnysuk

Cast/set info and analysis from 

@songbirds_and_snakes_poland

@tbosasgermany

@theboyandgirlonfire

@THungerGamesBra