Is this the prettiest village in Europe?
Some people think so. Others have described it as the most beautiful lake-side town in the world. Welcome to Hallstatt, in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria, about 300km west of Vienna. Listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1997, Hallstatt is certainly picture-postcard pretty. In fact it’s so pretty that China has paid it the compliment of building a replica village. During the day, Hallstatt is a little bit busy with tourists; the trick is to stay overnight. When the hordes have departed in their tour buses, the cobblestone lanes go quiet and everything seems to soften. Get a room high on the hill for the best views of Lake Hallstatt.
A Glass Half Full travelled to Halstatt as a guest of the Austrian National Tourist Board.
A Glass Half Full 
3 Responses to “Is this the prettiest village in Europe?”
Wow, that does look amazing. I’ll add it to the to-do list!
Noice. But why on earth would anyone want to build a replica? And replicating that big hill would have tested some engineering skills.
Why? I think if I tell you that the replica was built by a mining magnate and cost around $950 million, that might be enough information. And after all, they do a similar thing in Las Vegas, don’t they? If you have a desire to see it, you’ll find it near the city of Huizhou in Guangdong province. It only opened last month and the people of the real Hallstatt haven’t yet decided if they think it’s a compliment or not. From the photos I’ve seen, there are no mountains. Personally, I’m glad I’ve seen the real thing.