Behind the Scenes: The Real Filming Locations of Netflix’s “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)”
The Netflix series “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” follows the adventures of teen friends who create Europe’s largest online drug operation from a bedroom. Set in the fictional town of Rinseln, the show was filmed in various locations across Germany.
This article reveals the key filming spots and production facts, highlighting how these everyday German locales contributed to the authenticity of the coming-of-age crime comedy, making it relatable with its “this could happen anywhere” vibe.
A Town That Only Exists In A Fictional Universe
The story of “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” takes place in Rinseln, a fictional small German town. The real show’s creators, Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann, wanted a fictional setting to make the story feel universal. They wanted viewers to believe: “This could happen in my town, too.”
Though Rinseln isn’t real and doesn’t appear on any actual map, the production team had to find real places to bring it to life. They chose locations resembling ordinary German small towns with no notable landmarks that might reveal the site.
The team filmed most of the series in two major German cities: Bonn and Cologne. Shooting in these spots gave the series a small-town feel while maintaining the practicality of filming in more urbanized places.
What’s so effective about the setting is how commonplace it feels. The show’s creators deliberately avoided shooting in larger, more recognizable cities, like Berlin. This decision allows the audience to see the contrast between the characters’ mundane lives and their extraordinary online business.
Central Filming Location: Bonn, Germany
The Bonn area was the primary filming location for “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast).” This federal city is located along the banks of the Rhine River and offers many of the series’ significant settings.
The production team shot mainly in the Ippendorf district of Bonn. This neighborhood contributed to the small-town vibe that was key to the story. As for the main characters’ homes, the crew stationed cameras on Spreestraße, where they filmed many exterior shots of the characters’ homes.
One way to avoid that is to prevent a clever location, like a former educational facility in Gudenauer Weg. This building served as the exterior of Rinseln High School, where the teenage drama takes place. The location had the usual German school loo, nothing too specific or recognizable.
Bonn’s blend of suburbs and small town was ideal for creating Rinseln. The city was so laid out that different locations could be shot with a similar look, which is why all seasons of the show maintain a consistent look for its fictional town.
Filming Location No. 2: Cologne, Germany
Bonn supplied many exterior locations, but Cologne was key to the interior settings in “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast).” As the largest city in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, Cologne provided the production team with access to more resources and studio space.
The Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium at Ostlandstraße 39 in Cologne was a vital filming location. The production crew repurposed the space; this school didn’t simply offer a place for school scenes (though the production budget did build custom sets). They constructed full-blown interior sets within empty school rooms, including Moritz’s bedroom, where much of the online drug trade happens.
Your lead actor, Maximilian Mundt, who plays Moritz, told me a funny behind-the-scenes story about shooting in this location. They filmed in the winter for season 2, and the abandoned school had neither electricity nor running water.
The portable toilet outside turned to a block of ice, and the cast and crew had to wait for the ice to thaw before they could use it. Mundt quipped about the contrast between working on Netflix, which sounds glamorous on the surface, and the reality of filming in grim conditions.
Shot at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2024, hosted at Lanxess Arena in August 2024, to add more scenes to the show’s fourth and final season. This venue made the shadowy episodes of the series feel a touch more contemporary.
Timeline And Working Conditions of Production
Making “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” took years, with filming chunks spread across seasons. The first season, which had a working title of “Don’t Try This at Home,” ended in December 2018. The crew started filming the second season roughly in September 2019.
The third set was filmed in the tough year of 2020, beginning in July and ending in December. After a length, the cast and crew reunited to shoot the fourth and final season in the summer of 2024. Productions were never picture-perfect.
As Maximilian Mundt explained, shooting in an abandoned school during the winter presented unforeseen challenges. The cast and crew struggled to produce an engaging show in freezing conditions with no heating or functioning facilities.
These backstage details provide a sharply contrasting environment bubbling onscreen with the rough conditions during production. Even with these challenges, the team created a visually cohesive world throughout.
Building Genuine Interiors And Set Designs
What makes “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” special is how the production team devised authentic interiors that matched the story’s tone. Rather than construct sets on conventional soundstages, they went a different route.
Their new instruments were produced at an abandoned Cologne school. Empty classrooms were turned into settings from the show, and Moritz’s bedroom—the command post for the online drug operation—was created entirely inside the school.
This method provided the production team with significant flexibility. They could shoot interior and exterior shots in the same general area, helping preserve visual continuity across the series.
The set designers carefully showed little details that would help the fictional town come to life. Fromms with suitable posters and technology and the school that could be darkened at any German high school, these careful touches helped root the extraordinary story in a plausible world.
FAQ
Does Rinseln exist in Germany?
No, Rinseln is entirIttional. The creators made up this town to give the story a universal quality that could stand in for man in cities.
Where did they shoot the school scenes?
School scenes: The school is in two places: exteriors at a former Federal Foreign Office facility in Bonn and interiors at the Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium in Cologne.
Did they shoot in real houses to represent the homes of the characters?
Some exterior shots of homes were filmed on Spreestraße in Bonn, but most interior scenes were sets built inside an empty school building in Cologne.
How long did it take to shoot the full series?
The series was shot over several years, with season 1 wrapping in December 2018 and the final season filming in the summer of 2024.
Is the show based on actual events?
Yes, the show is inspired by real events in Leipzig, Germany, though loosely based. [The creators took the setting for the show from Tempe and moved it to a fictional town for a more universal story.]
Final Words
The 10 Prolific Filming Locations of ‘How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)’ By choosing ordinary German locales in Bonn and Cologne, the makers created a universal story that feels authentic and relatable.
Much of the series’ charm comes from the stark juxtaposition between the show’s digital drug empire and its small towns. So one element that this contrast did come about through is many painstaking and particular choice of filming locations that create the right mood and space.
For fans of the show, scenes filmed in different locations give them a deeper appreciation of the show. The next time you see Moritz and Lenny creating their online business from a bedroom, you’re watching a slickly constructed set in an abandoned school in Cologne.
These production details illustrate just how clever filmmaking can turn normal places into the stage for fantastic stories—two normal German cities are the setting of the fictitious place called Rinseln, where teens become Europe’s top online drug dealers.
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