European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse The Steeple of Hallstatt s Catholic Church rises above the rooftops of the Small austrian town on the Shore of the Allstatter see. Short of space but not Beauty by Norm Zeigler travel outdoor writer tucked away in one of the most picturesque Corners of the austrian Alps is a Village whose name denotes an entire european cultural epoch. The 19th-Century German explorer Alexander von Humboldt called Hallstatt Quot the most Beautiful Lakeside town in the even today this would be a hard statement to dispute. Picture postcard pretty and Studi edly quaint Hallstatt is squeezed into a tiny strip of land Between the Salzberg a the Mountain that towers Over the town t and the five mile Long Lake called the Allstatter see. A Waterfall tumbles Down into the Center of town where it is transformed into a fast Rushing Stream in a Channel of paving stones. Along the Shore guest houses and cafes provide table Side panoramas of the Lake and the Snow capped peaks of the Salk Immergut Region. Water rushes through the Channel in the Middle of town. With about 1,100 inhabitants and fewer than 400 houses Hallstatt enjoys a renown far out of proportion to its size. This is partly because of its Fame As a vacation spot but More the result of the discovery in 1846 of an ancient celtic graveyard on the Salzberg. The archaeological treasures found there were so extensive that it remains the most important Early Iron age site in Europe. The name Hallstatt culture is now applied to the entire period from about 1000 . To 500 . The ancient burial site is marked for visitors and Many of the finds Are displayed in the town s prehistoric museum. Among the items found in some 2,000 Graves were jewelry goblets decorated weapons and remnants of clothing. The variety and Quality of the burial objects showed that the Early Halls tatters were comparatively Well off. The reason for their wealth was a treasure that Lay buried within the Mountain Salt. Illyrians and celts began mining Salt in Hallstatt More than 2,500 years ago. For centuries the town enjoyed a virtual monopoly on this essential substance a once More valuable than Gold a throughout the Southern Alpine Region. One expert has said that in the seventh and eighth centuries . Hallstatt was wealthier than Rome. Hallstatt claims to have the oldest continuously operating Salt mine in the world. But today the mine is geared More to accommodating the crush of visitors than producing High Quality sodium Chloride. For tourism Long ago eclipsed Salt As the mainstay of Hallstatt s Economy. This is evidenced by the shops and restaurants that line see Strasse the main Street. There is not an ugly building in town. The multicoloured dwellings a an Eclectic mix of gothic modern and baroque a Are meticulously maintained. Around the Market Square Flowers and vines Trail Down from Many of the balconies and evergreens cling to the Mountainside above the rooftops. Until an Access Road was built in 1891, the main route into Hallstatt was Over water. Even today the Lake and the surrounding mountains lend a feeling of Tranquility and isolation that belies the volume of tourist traffic. Space is one thing Hallstatt has always been Short continued on Page 12 March 8, 1990 stripes Magazine 11
