The view of the town of Hallstatt on the lake is one of the most reproduced images from Austria. The small settlement, surrounded by mountains, is the most important center located in the UNESCO-listed Salzkammergut region. prehistoric cemeteries and salt mines.
Hallstatt is tiny, squeezed between the shores of Lake Hallstättersee and the slopes of the Alps. At the narrow, cobbled market square stands a neo-Gothic Evangelical church with a high tower. Wooden and stone houses built close together gather around him. Many of them have a typical Alpine spa appearance, with wooden balconies decorated with flowers and dark-tiled roofs. Above the slope stands a small baroque Catholic church with a skull chapel. It collected the remains of over 1,500 dead, and many of the skulls arranged on shelves are signed. The town can also be admired from the deck of cruise ships sailing on the lake and small electric boats that can be rented for a limited time.
For several hundred years, Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut surrounding it have been passionate about researchers of the past. In the 18th century, the preserved body of a prehistoric miner was discovered in the local salt mines. Regular archaeological research since the nineteenth century has led to the discovery of two iron age cemeteries and salt mines, the oldest of which are from the Bronze Age. Today, both sites can be visited, and a cable car runs to the mine entrance, from which you can also admire the charms of the surrounding landscapes.
