This weekend we went to Hallstadt, a UNESCO World Heritage site here in Austria, about 2 hours away from Zell am See.
What else better do we have to do then visit other cute Austrian towns with lakes? Or towns like Zell am See without the lake? Yes, we live in tourist central and sometimes we find amusement in comparing the tacky tourist attractions we have in Zell am See with other tourist towns.
Actually this town had some cute little touches.
They also had a waterfall that practically dropped into the town. Bonus points.
I am glad we decided to visit it in the dead of winter because by the looks of the gates that appeared to be there to prevent traffic from driving through, and the many signs available in Asian languages, this is a tourist science fair in the summer.
Thanks to a huge prehistoric cemetery that was discovered near Hallstadt, Hallstadt gave it's name to the "Hallstatt culture", which was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC (European Early Iron Age). It extends from 1200 BC to 500 BC.
We toured the freezing city museum to see some of the artifacts that were found in the cemetery. It was worth it.
As a child, I had visited the salt mines there, one of the many things this little town is famous for. It is supposedly the first known salt mine. It was a fun time and still recommend it no matter how "touristy" you might think it is.
How interesting - I'd love to see the salt mine - just the sort of quirky attraction I'm drawn to.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of winter or snow, but these photos make both look quite appealing!
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ReplyDeleteYes, the salt mine was a lot of fun...when I was a kid... but I have directed several people to it and they have always enjoyed it. We would have gone again, but it is closed from Oct-early April. There is a huge underground salt lake and a series of wooden slides and you get to dress up as an old school miner! Maybe next time you are in Graz!