In the middle of our journey to Munich, we made a short but memorable detour. We stopped for a few hours in the picturesque Hallstatt.
Hallstatt, which lies on the shores of Lake Hallstatt and is surrounded by steep mountain slopes, is truly like a fairy tale. The charming, colorful houses built close together, the small main square (Marktplatz), and the mountains reflected in the water provide a beautiful sight.
We walked along the lakeside promenade, captured the famous, postcard-worthy panorama, and felt the peace and beauty of the place completely fill us.
Hallstatt is a worldwide phenomenon among archaeologists: an entire Iron Age, the Hallstatt Age, was named after it. This tiny village was already inhabited seven thousand years ago, and everything was thanks to the salt hidden under our feet. The “white gold” made it possible for the people living here to carry on a flourishing trade with distant lands even in ancient times.
It is incredible to think that the oldest salt mine in the world is located here on the mountain above the village. For centuries, the settlement could only be reached by boat or on dangerous mountain paths, and this isolation has preserved the village’s unique, close-knit community and architecture. There was no regular car road leading here until the end of the 19th century.
Today, Hallstatt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and although people from all over the world come to marvel at it – even China has built an exact replica – the magic of the place is still there in the narrow alleys and in the reflection of the lake. Being here feels like the deepest layers of history and the most beautiful face of nature meet.
