Two-day tour "Cities and Lakes of Salzkammergut"

I invite you on a two-day trip to the amazing country of lakes - Salzkammergut. We will visit small towns located at the foot of the Alps on the shore of the purest lakes - St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen and sheltered from outside interference Hallstatte.

Our first visit will be St. Wolfgang. Immediately I want to make a reservation that the towns are so small and chambered that the language does not turn to call them a full-fledged word - the city. It seems that urbanization has bypassed this region ... So, St. Wolfgang. The history of this city begins in 976, here, on the shore of a lake with absolutely turquoise water, a small man-made church was built by missionary priest Wolfgang (it was in his honor that the city got its name). Wolfgang was not just a missionary, he was a popular advocate-reformer, and soon pilgrims drew here. In 1052, the priest was canonized and became St. Wolfgang. Later the church was rebuilt into a Catholic cathedral. It's a very unusual place. During our tour, I will tell you about the peculiarities of this church and the ancient legend associated with it. Not far from the cathedral, which is still a place of pilgrimage, you can see another attraction of the city - the Pilgrims Fountain, built in 1515. In general, walking around the city, you do not get tired of being surprised by the beauty of toy houses (there are almost no half-timbered buildings typical of Bavaria), many of which are painted with frescoes. Maybe this happened because representatives of the nobility came here for treatment and rest. Or maybe the locals in this way tried to harmoniously fit their homes into the surrounding beauty. In any case, this unique place will not leave you indifferent!

Next we will go to another beautiful town - St. Gilgen. It is best known for being the birthplace of Mozart’s mother. Although the great composer himself has never been here, a lot of things in the city are connected with his name: the house-museum, the name of the central square, the monument, the museum of musical instruments, which is dedicated to Mozart and much more. Initially, the inhabitants of this town were engaged in fishing and agriculture, and almost until the end of the 16th century it was a small village. In 1600, the district court moved to St. Gilgen, and the city began to develop actively. In the 17th century, the weaving of pertussis lace appears and is relevant to this day, the glass factory of the archdiocese was located here, and later shipping appears. Today it is impossible to leave this place without climbing the lift to the mountain Zvelferhorn (height, which is a little more than a thousand meters) to admire the beauty of this magical land. In the city of St. Gilgen we will stay for the night, and the next day we will go to Hallstatt. The history of the place called Hallstatt began a very, very long time ago. The first settlement on the shore of Hallstatt Lake appeared 6000 years BC. e. Today, this town, among other things, is also a monument to the vanished "Halstatt" culture and an unknown people who once lived here. The town, whose newest, Germanic history also goes back in ancient times, because the first information about the already existing, impregnable town dates back to the 14th century. Until then, the residents of the town tried not to disclose their “incognito”, because the times were very, very unfriendly. The main source of existence of Hallstatt was salt, mined by its inhabitants in the mines. In the 16th century, a pipeline made of wooden pipes was organized, through which the salt mass was transported to the "big" land. A small plateau on the shore of the lake is surrounded by mountains, which does not allow the town to grow more than the medieval size. The population today does not exceed 1000 people. Very often, the number of visitors to the city significantly exceeds the number of local residents. But for tourists there are many opportunities: you can climb on foot or on a funicular to the top of the mountain and explore the whole city from almost a kilometer height, you can go down to the depth of the salt mine, or ride a boat on the lake. And, of course, just enjoy the quiet surface of the lake and the beauty of the town and the surrounding Alps.

Having visited this magical corner, you will take away a huge number of photos of the surrounding beauty, vivid impressions and you will definitely have a desire to return here again! There's no other way!