It's rare that a town's charm will get me out of bed early. The postcard-pretty, lake-cuddling town of Hallstatt, two hours south of Salzburg, is one of those places. First thing in the morning, I head to the high end of town to look at the glassy waters of Lake Hallstatt.
With the town’s church spire mirrored in the tranquil water, a shuttle boat cuts through its reflection, like a knife putting a swirl in the icing on a big cake. For just a moment, it disturbs this oasis of peace. Hallstatt is located in Austria's Salzkammergut lake district, a scenic wonder that has enthralled nature lovers for centuries.
This is Sound of Music country – idyllic and majestic, but not rugged, a gentle land where lakes and mountains are shuffled together like a game of 52-card pickup. Before there was Rome, there was Hallstatt. One of Europe's oldest settlements, Hallstatt originated as a salt mining center (its name means "place of salt”).
If you were to dig under some of its buildings, you'd find Roman and pre-Roman Celtic pavement stones from the ancient and prehistoric salt depot. Archaeologists claim that people have been coming here for salt since 7,000 BC (over the millennia, salt has been precious because it preserved meat). A funicular runs up the mountain to the town’s salt mine, one of many throughout the region that offers tours.
At the mine, visitors slip into overalls, meet their guide, and hike deep into the mountain to learn about the history of salt. A highlight of t.
