Hallstatt – The village sleeping in the mist of the Alps

Post:Thuy Vu.Image:Multiple sources

“Beautiful landscape” can be considered the first and most impressive feeling for those who come here for the first time. Mountains surround all four sides, Hallstätter lake is clear with lazy, indifferent waves.

Fairy tale village

Hallstatt is charming and poetic with small paths winding around the village and roads along the mountainside leading to the top. The small village faces the lake, gently leaning against the mountain behind. At the top of the mountain behind the village, people have cleverly built a panoramic viewpoint that could not be more beautiful. It only takes about an hour of climbing, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the whole village from above, with snow-capped mountains, lakes, and small roofs nestled in the middle of the green steppe. That beautiful scene is probably hard to describe in words. Just know that UNESCO has recognized this as a world cultural heritage.

Close your eyes and imagine the descriptions in Grimm's fairy tales of a small, peaceful village with friendly people, roofs covered in white snow, a few white chimneys, and green forests covered in pure white snow. Then, somewhere, there are warm yellow lights, typical red Christmas boxes, the smell of traditional cinnamon rolls from the village bakeries... All of them come together, and Hallstatt is the reality of those images.

Coming to Hallstatt, you will also live in the story of salt mines and the history of the formation of this whole area. Hallstatt is located in the Salzkammergut region, which in German means a salt-rich area. Coming to Hallstatt, you must definitely visit a salt mine to hear about the history of this place and feel it. There are many salt mines exploited here, from several hundred to thousands of meters deep from the mountain caves. Different from the traditional way of making salt like at the sea, salt here is exploited by explosives. Large rocks then go through many layers of mineral filtration to create salt grains used to this day. The taste of salt mined in the mountains is also somewhat different from sea salt, perhaps a little less salty.

Salt mines that were mined using traditional methods such as dredging have now been stopped. Instead, the locals have turned them into natural museums. When visiting this place, visitors will learn about the process of salt mining, from ancient times to modern methods. But the most interesting and impressive thing, to me, is the role of these salt mines in World War II. In the face of the brutal destruction of war as well as the looting of valuable cultural assets under Hitler, the locals hid valuable works such as paintings, statues, documents... in the salt mines. After the war ended, these works were put on display and served the public. Due to the difficult conditions of wartime, these masterpieces were hidden in many places, by many army corps at that time. Even until now, people believe that there are still many valuable works hidden somewhere in the mountains here.

Warm Winter

Hallstatt and the surrounding area are also famous as an ideal place for cycling enthusiasts. How can you not be immersed when this place brings you a sense of peace, green space opens before your eyes for each step of the bike. With the hilly terrain, you will also have to work quite hard, but it is certainly nothing compared to what you get when exploring this place.

With a small population of just under 1 million, the people here truly appreciate every visitor. This is probably the friendliest place I have ever been to in Europe. The people here do not do tourism for commercial purposes, simply because they want to welcome nature lovers, introduce their pride to visitors. Due to the unfavorable winter weather, I arrived at a guesthouse called Moserwirt at 9 pm. When I arrived, the receptionist warmly gave me the room key without even asking or making us fill in any information, the simplest like name and credit card for guarantee like other places. Just a smile and a key available. A welcome could not be better for a winter night.

Hallstatt doesn’t have fancy hotel chains. There aren’t any fancy meals, but it does have its own unique cuisine, very close to home-cooked meals. Where I stayed, even if I woke up late, the food was still served, even freshly made and hot right in the kitchen. From cold cuts to sausages, everything was homemade. Hot soup was also made fresh upon request. What could be better than that for a morning before a trip?

From Hallstatt, you can also take a train or rent a car to reach major surrounding cities like Salzburg. Head north across the border to Germany and the Czech Republic, or west to Switzerland.

Although I only stayed here for 3 days, I was really impressed by this village. The smallness, the peace, the natural scenery, the strangely warm atmosphere even in the middle of the cold winter. And if you come to Austria, besides the capital Vienna and the city of Salzburg, Hallstatt is a place not to be missed.

More information:

+ Airfare from Vietnam to Austria ranges from 16-20 million VND/round trip. Ticket prices depend on peak season (April and October every year) or low season. Currently there are no direct flights from Vietnam to Austria, so you will have to go through a third country such as transit in Thailand or Germany, then continue to Austria.

+ You can get to Hallstatt by train:

From the capital Vienna through the following stations: Vienna-West-Train-Station (Wien-Westbahnhof) - Attnang Puchheim - Hallstatt Station - Hallstatt Markt or Vienna Main-Train-Station (Wien-Hauptbahnhof) - Leoben - Stainach Irdning - Hallstatt Station - Hallstatt Markt.

From Salzburg, go through the stations: Attnang - Puchheim - Hallstatt Station - Hallstatt Markt.

+ Austria is in the Schengen area, so if you are granted a visa to Austria, you can also travel freely to other countries in the area such as Germany, France, Switzerland, and Spain.

+ The current currency of Austria is the Euro.

+ German is the official language of Austria. However, people here can speak English and other European languages ​​fluently, so you can travel and explore here without knowing German.

+ Hallstatt is quite small, so you can just walk around the village without using any public transport. In addition, the tourist information desk is located right in the middle of the village. You can also ask anyone or wherever you stay to get the most useful information, the most interesting destination for you.

The Thanh