THE FILMING LOCATION
The home of the series doctor Martin Gruber.
Since 2008 the German broadcaster ZDF has filmed in the four Kaiser villages Ellmau, Going, Scheffau and Söll — this is where the fictional doctor Martin Gruber is at home. The new episodes are shot here every summer, at several real locations: the Gruberhof on the Söller Bromberg, the Bergdoktor surgery, the Hinterschnabel in Ellmau, the village square in Going and the Restaurant Föhrenhof in Ellmau.
From the Gafalhof it is about 12 minutes on foot to the centre of Going — right at the village square with its church, its fountain and the famous Gasthof Wilder Kaiser. And one tip straight away: the Gasthof Wilder Kaiser is in fact not a real inn but only the backdrop for exterior shots — the interiors are filmed at the Restaurant Föhrenhof in Ellmau, where you really can eat and stay the night.
ON ZDF SINCE 2008
The Bergdoktor in Ellmau, Going, Scheffau and Söll
12 MIN. ON FOOT TO THE VILLAGE
From the Gafalhof straight to the village square in Going
THE KAISER ON SCREEN
the Wilder Kaiser as the backdrop
GUIDED WALK
Bergdoktor tours with the GästeCard
THE SET
Bergdoktor filming locations around Going.
For fans of the series, Going is not simply a village — it is a reunion. The square where the plot unfolds in so many episodes. The meadows the characters walk across. The Wilder Kaiser as the constant backdrop.
From the Gafalhof you can walk into the heart of Bergdoktor country in a quarter of an hour. If you want more, Ellmau is 10 minutes by car and Söll 15 — all the places where the cameras have been at work for years.
The Bergdoktor in Going
Frequently asked questions
The best-known public locations are: the Gruberhof on the Söller Bromberg (the Gruber family home in the series; the farm is really called Köpfing), the Bergdoktor surgery, the Hinterschnabel in Ellmau (since 2007), the village square in Going with the Gasthof Wilder Kaiser (exterior shots), the Restaurant Föhrenhof in Ellmau (the interiors of the on-screen inn) and the Hintersteiner See in Scheffau. All of them are a few minutes by car from the Gafalhof.
No — and it is a common misunderstanding. The Gasthof Wilder Kaiser is in fact a private house on the village square in Going (the former village store), used only as a film set for exterior shots. You cannot eat or stay there. The interiors of the on-screen inn are filmed at the Restaurant Föhrenhof in Ellmau (in the Auwald part of the village) — where you really can eat and stay in hotel rooms.
Yes, but with consideration — the real farm, Köpfing, at 1,000 m on the Söller Bromberg, is a working farm and the home of the Mayr family. For a respectful visit, the Söll tourist office offers guided tractor rides to the Gruberhof (traktorfahrten-soell.com). If the tractor rides are fully booked, the farm can also be reached on foot (no booking needed, but do check the opening times).
Yes — the Bergdoktor programme run by the Wilder Kaiser tourist board offers five kinds of tour: guided walks, e-bike tours, the tractor ride to the Gruberhof, horse-drawn carriage tours and even Segway tours. Many of them link several locations in a single day. Book at the tourist office in Going or online: wilderkaiser.info.
About 12 minutes on foot down the Schwendterweg. Three minutes by car. On the village square you will find the Gasthof Wilder Kaiser (the film set), the church and the 1960s village fountain with its copper statue of Saint Florian.
The new episodes are shot here every summer. ZDF and the production company do not announce individual shooting days in advance — but you may well come across the camera truck in Going or up on an alpine pasture. Watching an active shoot is usually not possible, as the area is closed off.
A good week might run like this: day 1, the tractor ride to the Gruberhof with a view of the Kaiser massif; day 2, a walk through the centre of Going and a look at the surgery from outside in Ellmau; day 3, a walk or bike ride to the Hintersteiner See in Scheffau; day 4, dinner at the Restaurant Föhrenhof, where the interiors of the on-screen inn are filmed. Details and booking: wilderkaiser.info.
