Beauty attracts - this is not only true for people, but also for towns and villages.
The Austrian village Hallstatt looks like a scene from a fairy tale. If a writer had invented Hallstatt as an idyllic setting for his story, I would have believed it. It has all the right elements to be described as picturesque: Hallstatt is surrounded by a beautiful lake, Lake Hallstatt, and impressive mountains. Its UNESCO-protected architecture and stunning surroundings have made it to "the most Instagrammable town in the world".
Hallstatt has gone viral, attracting thousands of visitors every day from all over the world. It is particularly popular in East and South-East Asia, where the combination of mountains and a lake is considered 'lucky' – at least this is what I have heard in an interview which was part of a documentation about this region. Their love for Hallstatt is so great that they have even built a replica of the village in Guangdong Province in China.
Although you can now find Hallstatt in China, the original village in Austria still suffers from overtourism. Visitors from afar tend to think of the village as an interactive museum and like to enter private places such as terraces, behaving disrespectfully towards residents just to get the perfect shot or simply to use their toilet. Drones are already strictly forbidden because of the disturbing noise they make, and the community workers have even started building barriers to make the most famous photo spots difficult to access.
Hallstatt's beauty is surely both a blessing and a curse. There is a saying that beautiful things always need to be shared (if you want it or not): The town has a population of around 780 and every year more than a million tourists come here for a short visit to see Hallstatt once in their lives. Even in the winter months the town is bustling, as Hallstatt was the inspiration for the fairytale kingdom of Arendelle in Disney's Frozen movie. It was only during the pandemic that the villagers were able to enjoy the peace and quiet of the village.
I had heard so much about Hallstatt that I wanted to experience it for myself, but I was unsure if it was the right choice. When we travelled through the Salzkammergut region last May, I knew it would be a great chance to finally see Hallstatt and we decided to go, following the rules, being quiet and respectful to the people who live there. Despite the expected thousands of tourists, we ended up exploring a deserted Hallstatt as we arrived by car early before the tourist buses arrived. I can confirm that Hallstatt is picturesque and you can get plenty of shots off the beaten track. I am glad I saw it and was able to experience it without pushing and shoving. The beauty lies in the rare, unique and exclusive moment.
Pictures taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and Leica Q2.