Hallstatt is a municipality located in the Salzkammergut, in the Federal state of Upper Austria. Municipality in the district of Gmunden, located on the shore of the lake.

Hallstatt is located along a narrow coastline between steep mountains, some houses in the village are built on stilts. The city stretches for 13 kilometers from West to East, 9 kilometers from North to South. Almost half of the territory is covered by forests.

Hallstatt is known for its salt copam considered as the most ancient in Europe. The first written mention of the village dates back to 1311. Earlier data is not detected, perhaps due to the geographical remoteness of the settlement from trade routes. In 1595 began to operate Europe's oldest pipeline, which dissolved the salt was transported over a distance of 40 km from Hallstatt – in Ebensee. Salt was a valuable resource, therefore, the region prospered in economic terms.

Until the late 19th century in Hallstatt can be reached only by boat or on foot along the narrow paths. The first road was only built in 1890 along the shore.

In 1846, Johann Georg Ramsauer discovered a large prehistoric cemetery where there were more than a thousand ancient tombs. Excavations continued until 1863, their results were discovered funerary objects are dated to the iron age, and some of the findings - even earlier bronze. Archaeological finds are exhibited in many museums of Austria, and the greatest part is exhibited in the Eggenberg castle near Graz. This Celtic culture (around 800-400 BC) was named after the city where they found these artifacts - calstatela civilization.

Besides the beautiful natural scenery, the attraction for tourists is the Catholic parish of the assumption of St. Mary, built on a rock in the late Gothic style in 1505 on the site of an earlier Church. The massive tower is the only remaining part of the previous Church. Also interesting altarpiece stored in this Church - on either side of the virgin Mary depicted in the center of St. Barbara, patroness of miners, and St. Catherine is the patron Saint of lumberjacks. The altar is guarded by statues of saints of the knights of STS. George and Florian.

Near the Church is a cemetery and chapel, which houses more than a thousand human skulls, decorated with floral ornaments stamped name, date and cause of death. This repository (ossuary) arose because of lack of space at the cemetery: in 10 years, after the funeral, the deceased's body was dug up, cleaned the bones and skulls with the relevant notes were placed in the chapel.

In 1996, Hallstatt was listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Every year in this small town comes to 70 thousand tourists to admire the unforgettable landscapes of the lake and also visit the caves in the nearby Obertraun. Every year in Hallstatt, various cultural and sports activities.