New Delhi: Austria is a country with a rich cultural heritage. There are many important places in the nation, like Salzkammergut, a resort area that stretches from the Salzburg city eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mountains. There is also Hallstatt, a small town in the Gmunden district in Upper Austria. Both the places are part of the the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape, which became an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Hallstatt-Dachstein: Austria’s breathtaking Heritage Site
Salzkammergut is a magnificent natural landscape where human activity began in the prehistoric times. Salt deposits in the place has been exploited as early as the 2nd millennium BC. Till the middle of the 20th century, the area prospered because of salt and the prosperity is evident in Hallstatt’s fine architecture.
Hallstatt-Dachstein landscape and its historical significance
The Hallstatt-Dachstein alpine landscape is part of the Salzkammergut landscape and the Eastern Alps. It is known for its alluring natural beauty with huge mountains which rise all of sudden to form narrow valleys. Since the mediaeval times, the area has prospered because of salt mining with the focus mostly on the Hallstatt town, a name which means salt settlement.
The history of salt production in the region
Since as early as the Middle Bronze Age, the region has witnessed systematic salt production. Back then, vessels were used to capture natural brine and it was then evaporated. Towards the late Bronze Age, salt’s underground mining began and it resumed in the 8th century BC. As per archaeological evidence, the society during the Iron Age was high organised and flourishing. During the Roman times, salt mining continued and the region had trade relations with many places in Europe. The extensive upland forests supplied the large amounts of timber for the mines and to evaporate the salt. In 1750, a fire destroyed the timber buildings and Hallstatt was re-built in late Baroque style.
How did the place became popular?
The Salzkammergut landscape and its Hallstatt has a beautiful alpine landscape. During summer, sheep and cattle graze in the higher pastures and it is a part of the transhumance process, which why the valley communities still get rights of access to specific grazing areas. In the early 19th century, writers like Franz Grillparzer, the dramatic poet and novelist Adalbert Stifler ‘discovered’ the place. Its popularity grew in subsequent years which led to large number of tourists going there. As a result, hotels and brine baths for visitors were built. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was defined on an area of 284 square kilometres, and another 200 square kilometres was designated as the buffer zone. The core zone, apart Hallstatt, includes the towns Gosau, Bad Goisern and Obertraun.
Austria’s Salzkammergut region, a UNESCO World Heritage site, boasts breathtaking alpine scenery and a rich history. The Hallstatt-Dachstein area, renowned for its salt mines dating back to the Bronze Age, showcases centuries of human interaction with the landscape. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
