Hallstatt Village, Austria

Majestic views are a many in the world, but few have been so well preserved in such a way that the cultural heritage is established and grown along side the landscapes. Hallstatt is one example of such places. Considered a world heritage site, this Austrian village is the very definition of natural eye candy.

The village which has been around for thousands of years has beautiful pastel coloured houses which on sunnier day's are reflected onto an equally brilliant lake. The mountains which wrap around this place are nature's way of protecting this place from too many people knowing about it, but Hallstatt's significant in history cannot be overlooked.

At this time of the year, the Mountains still have their white complexion, but later on they become beautiful shades of green with blossoming forestry. Even in the gloomier months, there is undeniable beauty here. It feels very Celtic and for good reason too. Some settlers from the Celtic region were found dating back as far as 800 BC.

It wasn't until the late 19th century that reaching Hallstatt was possible via any means other than boat. Traversing through the lands between the mountains was treacherous and furthermore, the village needed all the spare land it could get to expand. A lot of the access between houses were with boat.

I love the pastel coloured houses, up close they have a very distinct traditional look and feel. Flat, rectangular with triangular roofs. Windows each with multicoloured covers.

Lanterns use the same colour schemes you would find on the window boards.

In the summer months, the town has an incredible number of visitors. Now that the village has opened up with roads, many people from all over Europe come to see the beauty of this town and neighbouring lake.

Originally, Hallstatt was in the Salt producing business because of it's natural abundance of it in the area. Because of this, the town became very wealthy. Despite being almost inhospitable, people flocked to this town to mine the salt. It's been like this for thousands of years.

This is definitely a place you will want to go. It is no longer attracting people because of it's salt, but the history of this little village which has been defined by not only this precious commodity, but also it's natural beauty has attracted people to visit and now that the roads are clear, you can drive in. It is known as being one of the most beautiful places in the world to photograph with it's glass lake, buildings on the sides of mountains and towering mountains in the background.