Hallstatt

In the summer of 2024, on our way back home from Croatia, we were looking for a place to stay for two more days somewhere up to the north in Austria coming from Graz. We found the Wohmobilstellplatz at the opposite side of the Hallstätter See and visited Hallstatt itself only the day after.

With only 900 residents and 10.000 visitors per day, Hallstatt can be overcrowded. It is said that the makers of Disney's Frozen movies got their inspiration from here, turning it into one of Europe's hotspots. In an amusement park in Guangdong, China, a copy of Hallstatt in mirror image was built in 2012. Though I wouldn't say that Hallstatt was overcrowded when we were visiting, it is clear that visitors come from all over the world.

Hallstatt as seen from the little terrace at the Seecafé. From here it is only 1 kilometer to the Aussichtspunkt from where Kurt Hielscher made his photo. It is a pleasant, not to say, stunning stroll via the Seestraße and the center.

The Marktplatz with the Statue der Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit, the Statue of the Holy Trinity, where beautiful ladies love to be phographed. On the left, we can notice Kim and my youngest with a plastered arm.

Here both churches that define the views on Hallstatt: On the left the Catholic Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Maria am Berg) and the Evangelische Pfarrkirche Hallstatt that dates back to 1863.

Inside the Evangelische Pfarrkirche.

"Take care of what you love". Hallstatt is well preserved. And people really live here, trying to lead a normal life despite the tourists.

Hallstatt is known for having the oldest salt mine in the world.

Wooden houses and balconies.

Kim posing at the Statue of the Trinity on the stunning Marktplatz in Hallstatt.

Me at the viewpoint from where Kurt Hielscher made his photo with his 1928 Österreich photo album opened on page 22 and 23.

A few minutes before we were surpprised by upcoming thunderstorms.

The Hallstätter See seen from the Wohnmobilstellplatz Obertraun where we stayed for the night. Here we went for a swim and paddeled with the canoe and the sub towards the middle of the lake. It was a good decision to go back in time and not to paddle across the lake fully, because in the late afternoon we were suprised by thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. The next morning, the weather was good again, and we could visit Hallstatt.

Ofcourse, I knew visiting Hallstatt wouldn't be easy, especially with a campervan. We found a place at the Wohmobilstellplatz at the opposite side of the Hallstätter See, a little more than a 4 kilometer walk and stayed there for 24 hours. Lots of people walked around the lake from one of its parking lots, or took the boat from Obertraun. Not us. My youngest broke his wrist just a few days before and Kim, relatively low in her energy with a detoriating kidney function, made us decide to bring them first with the van and drop them off at the gasolinestation at the beginning of the village. Then back to the Wohnmobilstellplatz where I found our place still empty. My oldest son and I took the bikes from the van and went back to Hallstatt. Early afternoon, we did it the other way round, but not with a stop at the gasoline station anymore. We were not welcome there dropping people off like we did.

Below: Hallstatter See 360.