Hallstatt

Hallstatt is a tiny, inaccessible town in the Austrian Alps, sandwiched in a narrow area between rocks and the lake of the same name. Hallstatt is located far from major highways, but this does not prevent it from receiving tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world. Hallstatt is famous primarily for the oldest salt mines in Europe, which have been developed for about 3000 years. And also, the most unusual local tradition - the dead were dug up here and transferred from the cemetery to a special ossuary in the local church. Hallstatt is considered one of the oldest settlements in Europe. In the 19th century, more than two thousand graves dating from the Iron Age were found here. This archaeological find became so significant that it gave the name to an entire archaeological culture. Hallstatt culture dominated Central Europe and the Balkans for 500 years, from 900 to 400 BC. e.