Hallstatt, Austria: a Mini-Documentary

All about Austria's UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the narration:

Hallstatt, a small and very picturesque lakeside town in Austria.
The town and its lake, the Hallstätter See, are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hallstatt is situated between the southwestern shore of the lake and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps.

The first road to Hallstatt was only built in 1890. Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow trails.
The town lies on the road linking Salzburg and Graz.

Hallstatt’s beautiful market square, the Marktplatz, dates back to the 14th century and in the middle of it is the 18th century Trinity Column.
In the square and nearby there are plenty of souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants.
This is a great place to meet up, sit down, enjoy a chat and a coffee and chill out.

The historic market square hosts events throughout the year, including brass band concerts and a Christmas market.
When you’re here, it’s worth taking a few minutes just to look at the buildings, with their traditional balconies and flower baskets.

The lakeside is a stone’s throw away from the Market Place for those who prefer to relax, eat and drink while enjoying a view across the water to the mountains.
The walk along the lakeside is very pretty and there are lots of shops and restaurants.
Hallstatt can get very crowded because it is a really popular tourist destination.

Stepping inland from the lake, Hallstatt is a great town to explore on foot due to its compact size, but with its mountainside location, it also has some steep gradients.

If you want to find out more about the history of the area, there’s the Hallstatt Museum in the centre of town, which houses a collection of discoveries made in the salt mines which date as far back as the late Neolithic or late Stone Age.

As well as some wonderfully preserved buildings, the town also has a waterfall running right through the centre.
Other waterfalls at the south end of town include the Wassertrub, and these flow into the Wasserbach and then the lake.

The Catholic parish church of Hallstatt nestles against the mountain.
The first Christian community was formed here around the mid 11th century and the church tower dates back to the 12th century.
It has a very pretty cemetery which overlooks the lake.

The charnel house or ‘bone house’ in St. Michael’s Chapel is one of the most interesting tourist sites in Hallstatt. The chapel dates back to the 12th century and is located next to the catholic parish church.
Each year, visitors from all over the world come to admire the unusual collection of over 600 artistically painted skulls.

Also prominent in Hallstatt is the Evangelical Church, completed in 1863.
In this view you can see the towers of both churches.

There are plenty of boats available for hire or you can take a ferry ride across the lake. You can see lots of boathouses along the town’s shoreline. Austrians make great use of their lakes for recreation and popular areas can have a lot of boat traffic.
You can hire various kinds of boat.

For even more spectacular views, it’s worth taking a trip up the mountain. The Salzbergbahn cable car is a funicular railway which carries you up to an elevation of 838 meters and the Hallstatt high valley. 

And once you reach the top, you’re rewarded with panoramic views.
There’s plenty to do.
You can tour Salzwelten, an ancient salt mine with a subterranean salt lake, and there are various trails you can follow.

Rudolfsturm, or Rudolf’s Tower, is just a short walk away from the top station. There was a medieval defence tower here as far back as the late 13th century.
The building was later expanded and now houses a restaurant.
In front of the tower is the Skywalk Hallstatt viewing platform.
It tapers 12 meters out to a point and is 360 meters above the rooftops of Hallstatt.

You can drive to Hallstatt, but there’s limited parking - on one trip the town’s parking was full and we ended up parking on the opposite side of the lake.

I think the ferry is probably the best way to arrive in Hallstatt because you start off with a trip on the lake and get a rapidly changing perspective of the amazing scenery.
There’s no railway line into Hallstatt itself, but the ferry is timed to meet the trains on the opposite shore.

On one trip we got the train to Halstätter See from the nearby historic spa town of Bad Ischl. This is a fabulous short railway journey with amazing views of the Upper Austrian countryside.

Halstatt became popular with tourists from Asia and there’s even a replica of Hallstatt in China.

If you can explore Hallstatt on a quiet day, you’ll have a better time.
And if you’re visiting Upper Austria I would wholeheartedly recommend it as a destination.

Credits:
Photo of Hallstatt, China by H. Böck.
4K thumbnail icon courtesy of pngtree.com