While watching the Eurovision 2026 postcards, I kept wondering where the Austrian backdrops were filmed. Some were easy to recognize, while others flashed by quickly or were combined with studio footage and digital compositing.
I remember that in past years all locations were described, but for some reason this was not the case this year. So I turned it into a small research project where I could also use the latest AI tools and see how far this can go.
Map
The map below contains one marker for each identified location. Marker positions are approximate, especially where a postcard shows a wider region instead of one exact building.
White markers belong to Semi-Final 1, graphite markers belong to Semi-Final 2. Click a marker to open the location link and the timestamped postcard clip, or use the filters and country links below to narrow the map.
What are Eurovision postcards?
Eurovision postcards are the short filmed sequences shown before each performance. They typically introduce the next artist while also showcasing the host country through scenic landscapes, architecture, culture, or activities.
The full postcard compilation videos are:
Methodology
This is a working list, not an official Eurovision source. I did not want to comb through every frame manually, so I used Gemini as a first-pass assistant and then corrected the results by hand.
These were the prompts I started with.
Prompt 1: First Semi-Final
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k56Sls3FBs8
The video shows multiple countries, for each country one or multiple locations from Austria are shown. Can you identify them?
Prompt 2: Second Semi-Final
Do the same for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj1-L6TZsk4
Prompt 3: Refining accuracy
I see now, the start times are wrong. Also for Croatia, beside the Pyramidenkogel, they also show the Meerauge in Bodental.
The first pass got the timings wrong, so I recalculated the clip links against the running order and the actual compilation videos. I also manually corrected Croatia, because the postcard shows the Pyramidenkogel and the Meerauge in Bodental. I also added the Leopoldinentempel after a later review.
The final list combines:
- AI-assisted landmark identification,
- manual checks against maps, tourism pages, and image search,
- the official semi-final running order,
- community notes, especially the Reddit threads collecting Semi-Final 1 locations and Semi-Final 2 locations.
I treated the Reddit threads as useful cross-checks, not as final authority, because a few entries changed after checking the current compilation videos.
The most important caveat: the postcards often combine multiple shots, studio footage, and digital effects. Some entries therefore list more than one location, and a few remain approximate.
The timestamped clip links jump to the approximate start of each postcard inside the compilation videos.
The list covers the 17 postcards shown during the first semi-final and the 18 postcards shown during the second semi-final, including the automatic qualifiers presented during those shows.
Semi-Final 1 Postcards
Moldova
Location: The Wiener Prater amusement park in Vienna, prominently featuring the Giant Ferris Wheel.
Sweden
Locations:
- Linz and the Danube riverfront
- Lentos Art Museum
- Ars Electronica Center
- Mural Harbor
Croatia
Locations:
- Pyramidenkogel wooden observation tower
- Meerauge in the Bodental valley in Carinthia
Greece
Locations:
- Highline179 suspension bridge
- Ehrenberg Castle ruins
- LUMAGICA Reutte, the seasonal light park inside the Ehrenberg Castle ruins
- Reutte valley landscapes in Tyrol
Portugal
Location: The modern Festspielhaus Erl (Tyrolean Festival Erl) in Tyrol.
Georgia
Locations:
Italy
Locations:
- Wachau Valley with vineyard terraces and Danube views
- Dürnstein Castle ruins
Finland
Locations:
- Lake Ossiach in Carinthia
- Domenig Steinhaus
Montenegro
Locations:
- BUS:STOP Krumbach, especially Moos and Bränden
- Alfenzbrücke
Estonia
Location: Haus des Meeres aquarium in Vienna, located inside a former WWII flak tower.
Israel
Location: The Damüls-Mellau ski region in Vorarlberg, including winter landscapes, snow kayaking scenes, and the Damüls alpine swings.
Germany
Location: Salzburg, prominently featuring Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Belgium
Location: The 007 Elements cinematic installation on the Gaislachkogel in Sölden.
Lithuania
Watch clip 10:07 · Show on map
Locations:
- Lake Altaussee in Styria
- Trisselwand rock face
San Marino
Watch clip 10:53 · Show on map
Location: The floodplain and river landscapes of Donau-Auen National Park.
Poland
Watch clip 11:38 · Show on map
Locations:
- Burg Taggenbrunn in Carinthia
- Zeitgöttin sculpture
Serbia
Watch clip 12:24 · Show on map
Location: The Erzberg mine in Styria, with the stepped open-pit mining terraces and industrial setting around Eisenerz.
Semi-Final 2 Postcards
Bulgaria
Location: The magnificent Baroque library of Admont Abbey in Styria.
Azerbaijan
Location: The famous Semmering Railway viaducts in Lower Austria.
Romania
Location: The avant-garde Museum Liaunig in Carinthia.
Luxembourg
Location: Burgruine Aggstein in the Wachau region of Lower Austria.
Czechia
Locations:
- Dachstein Mountains
- Dachstein suspension bridge and alpine glacier scenery
France
Location: The gardens and maze of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.
Armenia
Location: The Ottenstein Reservoir in Lower Austria.
Switzerland
Locations:
- Innsbruck
- Golden Roof
- Bergisel Ski Jump
- Hungerburgbahn
- Tyrolean mountain scenery
Cyprus
Location: The reed beds and wetlands of Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, within the wider Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park region.
Austria
Locations:
- Wander Bertoni open-air sculpture museum in Winden am See, near Lake Neusiedl
- Leopoldinentempel in the park of Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt
Latvia
Locations:
- Eisriesenwelt ice caves
- Hallstatt
Denmark
Locations:
- Schloss Klaus, a historic castle overlooking the Steyr river reservoir in Klaus an der Pyhrnbahn, Upper Austria
- Kraftwerk Klaus and the reservoir on the Steyr
- The surrounding Steyrtal
Australia
Location: The alpine spa town of Bad Gastein in Salzburg.
Ukraine
Watch clip 10:07 · Show on map
Locations:
- Wasserbehälter Hackenberg
- First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline
- Waterpipe Museum at Kaiserbrunn
- Aquädukt Baden
- Belvedere Palace
United Kingdom
Watch clip 10:52 · Show on map
Locations:
- St. Anton am Arlberg
- Alpine passes and the Galzigbahn
Albania
Watch clip 11:38 · Show on map
Location: The Kitzlochklamm gorge near Taxenbach in Salzburg.
Malta
Watch clip 12:24 · Show on map
Locations:
- Historic sites across Vienna’s Innere Stadt
- Kaiserwasser
- Vienna International Centre
- Donau City
Norway
Watch clip 13:11 · Show on map
Locations:
- The grand staircase inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Wien Museum Karlsplatz
Final Thoughts
The AI-assisted identification process was surprisingly effective. It gave me a good starting point for putting everything together, and along the way I also decided to visualize the results on an interactive map with filters.
One of the most interesting things about this experiment was realizing how diverse the Eurovision postcards made Austria look.
If you spotted additional locations or noticed inaccuracies, feel free to contribute corrections. Some sequences likely combine multiple locations in very rapid cuts.