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| Where Was Netflix’s Anaesthesia Filmed? All Polish Filming Locations Revealed. |
Netflix’s Anaesthesia, originally titled Znieczulenie, was filmed in Poland, with production spanning Ostrołęka County, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Warsaw. Rather than relying entirely on purpose-built hospital sets, the Polish medical drama uses real locations to create the atmosphere of a provincial healthcare facility, alongside a dramatic industrial setting for one of its major emergency sequences.
Directed by Łukasz Ostalski, the series follows renowned neurosurgeon Dr Dawid Łazarz, whose unconventional approach to medicine costs him his prestigious hospital position. Starting again at a smaller local hospital, he must adjust to a different working environment while continuing to put his patients first. The production reportedly began principal photography in July 2025, with filming continuing through the following months and wrapping around October. Here's a closer look at the real Polish locations that help bring the Netflix series to life.
The first major filming destination is Ostrołęka County in the Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Although the story places Dr Łazarz's new workplace in Suwałki, the production chose a different Polish town to create the hospital environment.
This is where the Dr Józef Psarski Mazovian Specialist Hospital, located at Aleja Jana Pawła II 120A in Ostrołęka, became one of the most important filming locations. The real medical facility was transformed to represent the fictional Suwalski Szpital Specjalistyczny (Suwałki Specialist Hospital), giving the series a convincing provincial hospital setting without having to build an entire medical complex from scratch.
The production team made several visual adjustments to the building to match the fictional hospital featured in the story. One particularly noticeable alteration involved installing a temporary rooftop sign bearing the name Suwalski Szpital Specjalistyczny. The change reportedly confused some local residents, who suddenly found their familiar hospital carrying a completely different identity. It is a rather amusing side effect of filming: imagine walking past a hospital you have known for years, only to discover that it apparently belongs to another city.
Ostrołęka itself offers plenty of interesting places to explore beyond the hospital exterior. Ostrołęka Old Town, with its traditional streets and historic buildings, provides a glimpse into the character of this part of the Masovian region. The Ostrołęka Museum is another worthwhile stop for visitors interested in local history and cultural heritage.
Meanwhile, the Church of St Anthony of Padua adds another distinctive architectural landmark to the town. These locations help illustrate the wider setting surrounding the series' principal hospital location, particularly the quieter atmosphere that contrasts with the demanding medical environment.
Another important production destination is Dąbrowa Górnicza, a city in Poland's Silesian Voivodeship. The filming unit reportedly travelled here during September 2025, using the former KWK Paryż coal mine, located at Perla 41, as the setting for a major railway disaster sequence. The industrial property provided a convincing environment for the dramatic emergency scenes, making it a practical alternative to constructing an elaborate disaster set elsewhere.
The former coal mine was transformed into a railway accident location, complete with a staged train crash and an emergency rescue operation. The production team also filmed several night sequences around the premises, using powerful spotlights to illuminate the industrial surroundings.
To make the accident appear more convincing on screen, the crew incorporated simulated flames and smoke generators, creating the atmosphere of a large-scale emergency. It is quite a transformation for a former mining property, which suddenly found itself playing host to a television production involving considerably more drama than its usual industrial history.
Dąbrowa Górnicza also has other interesting destinations worth exploring. Park Zielona offers a pleasant green space for walking, while Pogoria Lake is a popular recreational destination with opportunities for cycling, relaxing by the water and enjoying the surrounding landscape. The Palace of Culture in Zagłębie, meanwhile, is an architectural and cultural landmark in the city centre. Together, these destinations offer a broader picture of Dąbrowa Górnicza beyond its industrial identity, making the city an interesting stop for anyone exploring the Silesian region.
The production also reportedly incorporated Warsaw, Poland's capital, into its filming schedule. Unlike the hospital-focused sequences in Ostrołęka and the industrial disaster scenes in Dąbrowa Górnicza, the capital provides a wider urban backdrop.
Its recognisable architecture, historic streets and modern skyline offer plenty of visual variety for establishing shots and city views. Warsaw is particularly useful for productions that want to establish a distinctly Polish setting without spending too much time explaining where the story takes place.
Among the city's most recognisable landmarks is the Royal Castle, situated in Castle Square in Warsaw's historic Old Town. The building has an important place in Polish history and is one of the capital's most recognisable architectural attractions. Another notable destination is Wilanów Palace, a beautiful Baroque residence surrounded by landscaped gardens. Its grand exterior provides a striking contrast to the more modern architecture found elsewhere in the capital.
The Church of the Holy Cross, located along Krakowskie Przedmieście, is another significant Warsaw landmark. Its historic architecture and central location make it one of the city's notable religious buildings.
Meanwhile, Old Town Market Square is among the most picturesque parts of Warsaw, featuring colourful historic buildings, restaurants and cafés. Visitors can also explore the Palace of Culture and Science, one of the capital's most recognisable skyscrapers, whose imposing architecture has become an unmistakable part of the city's skyline.
For anyone interested in exploring more of Warsaw, Łazienki Park is another worthwhile destination. The expansive park features beautiful gardens, historic buildings and the famous Palace on the Isle.
It offers a completely different atmosphere from the busy streets of central Warsaw, providing a peaceful place to spend an afternoon. The Warsaw Barbican, meanwhile, is a historic defensive structure connecting the Old Town with the New Town. Both destinations add more variety to a visit to the capital, particularly for travellers interested in Polish architecture and history.
Warsaw has also established itself as an important filming destination for international and domestic productions. Its streets and historic buildings have appeared in several films and television projects, including Fatherland, The Pianist, A Real Pain, Winter of the Crow, The Doll and Just One Look. The city's architectural diversity makes it particularly attractive to filmmakers, as different neighbourhoods can represent different periods, locations and atmospheres without requiring extensive travel.
As for our opinion, Anaesthesia has an interesting advantage in its choice of filming locations. Instead of making everything look unnecessarily polished, the production uses real Polish environments to establish a more grounded atmosphere. Ostrołęka provides the hospital setting that drives much of the story, while Dąbrowa Górnicza introduces a completely different visual identity through its former industrial premises. Warsaw adds another dimension, giving the series a recognisable urban backdrop.
The contrast between these places should help keep the visual presentation from feeling repetitive, particularly in a medical drama that spends considerable time inside hospital corridors and operating theatres. We also find the transformation of a real hospital particularly interesting, especially the temporary signage that reportedly confused local residents. Sometimes the most entertaining behind-the-scenes details have nothing to do with the actual acting. Overall, Poland proves to be a fitting production choice for a series built around demanding medical situations and everyday hospital life.
Those are the principal filming destinations associated with Netflix's Anaesthesia. From the real hospital in Ostrołęka to the industrial setting in Dąbrowa Górnicza and the recognisable architecture of Warsaw, the series showcases several different sides of Poland. Of course, filming locations can sometimes be difficult to identify because productions do not always publish every individual street, building or interior used during filming.
Some hospital interiors may also be created or adapted specifically for production purposes. We will update this guide if further filming locations are officially identified. So, which of these Polish destinations would you most like to visit? Would you choose the historic streets of Warsaw, explore Ostrołęka or see the industrial landscape of Dąbrowa Górnicza? Share your thoughts!