HALLSTATT 4K | WALK TOUR | MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE OF EUROPE | AUSTRIA | TRAVEL | EXPLORE WITH TYAGI

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Hallstatt is known for its production of salt, dating back to prehistoric times, and gave its name to the Hallstatt culture, the archaeological culture linked to Proto-Celtic and early Celtic people of the Early Iron Age in Europe, c. 800–450 BC.

Hallstatt is at the core of the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape declared as one of the World Heritage Sites in Austria by UNESCO in 1997. It is an area of overtourism.

Finds at Hallstatt extend from about 1200 BC until around 500 BC, and are divided by archaeologists into four phases:

Phase Date (BC)
HaA 1200–1000
HaB 1000–800
HaC 800–650
HaD 650–475

In 1846, Johann Georg Ramsauer (1795–1874) discovered a large prehistoric cemetery at the Salzberg mines near Hallstatt (47.561°N 13.642°E), which he excavated during the second half of the 19th century. Eventually the excavation would yield 1,045 burials, although no settlement has yet been found. This may be covered by the later village, which has long occupied the entire narrow strip between the steep hillsides and the lake.

Some 1,300 burials have been found, including around 2,000 individuals, with women and children but few infants.[]: 26  Nor is there a "princely" burial, as often found near large settlements. Instead, there are a large number of burials varying considerably in the number and richness of the grave goods, but with a high proportion containing goods suggesting a life well above subsistence level.

The problems and opportunities of greatly-increased tourism in Hallstatt were covered by The Washington Post in August 2019.[] Halstatt's tourism began in the 19th century but greatly increased after it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.[] It became popular among East Asian tourists in 2006 when it was featured on a South Korean television show.

Social media images of Hallstatt, captioned "the most Instagrammable town in the world," went viral in Eastern and Southeast Asia.[] A replica was planned and then built in China in 2011 in Huizhou, Guangdong province, Hallstatt's twin town.[] In 2013, it was rumored in China to be the model for the movie Frozen's Arendelle village.[] By 2017, local churches were employing bouncers to prevent services being disrupted by tourists. In 2020, the town had a population of 780, and estimates of 10,000 to nearly 30,000 tourists per day, primarily via bus tours which bring tourists briefly into the town for photo opportunities, then quickly move on.

Hallstatt's economy depends on tourism,] but according to locals the day-visitors drive away tourists who would stay longer. Hallstatt became the prime example of overtourism in Austria and led to controversies around limiting the number of tourists. The Austrian Public Broadcasting Organization made multiple documentaries about the situation.