Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape in Austria

Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape in Austria

Short Report

Human activities in the beautiful landscape of the Salzkammergut region began in the prehistoric times, with the salt deposits are exploited as already in the 2nd millennium BC. These sources formed the basis of the prosperity in the middle of the 20th century, a prosperity that is reflected in the architecture of the city Hallstatt.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The Hallstatt-Dachstein alpine landscape, part of the Salzkammergut, and therefore of the Eastern Alps, is a visual drama with huge mountains suddenly rising form narrow valleys. Its prosperity since middle ages is based on salt mining, focused on the city Hallstatt, a name meaning salt solution that reflects its primary function. Systematic salt production was carried out in the region in the Middle Bronze Age (late 2nd millennium V. CHR. ), AS natural brine is captured in vessels and evaporates. Underground mining for salt began at the end of the late Bronze Age and resumed in the 8th century BC as archaeological evidence shows a thriving, laminated and very organized Iron Age society with wide commercial relations between Europe and now known as the Hallstatt Culture. Salt extraction continued in the Roman time and was then in the 14th century. The large amounts of wood which are necessary for the mines and for evaporation salt where extracted from the extensive upland forests, which, since the 16th century were controlled and managed by the Austrian Crown. The town of Hallstatt was re-built in late baroque style after a fire in 1750 destroyed the wooden buildings.

The beauty of the alpine landscape, with its higher meadows are used for summer grazing of sheep and cattle since prehistoric times as part of the process of transhumance, which today the valley communities rights of access to specific mountain pastures, was 'discovered' in the beginning of the 19th century by writers, such as Adalbert Stifler, Novelist, The landscape is exceptional as a complex of great scientific interest and immense natural power that has played an important role in the history of man to be reflected in the impact of farmer-miners more than three thousand years old. The way in which mining has the establishment of the mountain and by the artists and writers who are transported harmony and beauty.

Man has the inhabited valleys between mountains more than three thousand years. The extraction and processing of salt, a natural resource essential to human and animal life, this field has its prosperity and individuality, as a result of extensive cooperation between intensive human activity in the middle of a largely untamed landscape. The Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut alpine region is an excellent example of a natural landscape of great beauty and scientific interest which also contains evidence of fundamental human economic activity. The cultural landscape of the region has a continual evolution of 2500 years. The history from the very beginning is linked primarily to the economic history of salt extraction. Salt extraction is always determined all aspects of life, as well as the architectural and artistic material evidence. Salt production on a large scale can be traced in Hallstatt on the Middle Bronze Age.

Integrity 

The property appropriate reserves all elements related to proof of salt mining and processing, associated timber production, transhumance and milk, and it still has the harmony withdrew the 19th-century artists and writers.

Authenticity 

Because of the special historical development, this cultural landscape has retained a certain degree of authenticity in nature and society which is excellent in the alpine region. As a result of a harmonious interaction between man and the environment is preserved spatial and physical structure to an exceptionally high level. This quality and context is further confirmed by a large number of visiting artists whose many cloths and comments extra adorns its value.

Wide Report

The Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut alpine region is an excellent example of a landscape of great beauty. It also has great scientific interest because it contains evidence a fundamental human economic activity, the production of salt. Human activities in the beautiful landscape of the Salzkammergut region began in the prehistoric times, with the salt deposits are exploited as already in the 2nd millennium BC. The name of the medieval city, derived from the West German hall (salt) and the old German stat (settlement), first mentioned in an act of 1305, is testimony to its primary function. These sources formed the basis of the prosperity to the middle of the 20th century, a prosperity that is reflected in the architecture of the town Hallstatt.

The town grew along the narrow strip of land between the steep hill of the Salzberg and lake, and the Mühlbach, an artificial cape in the more as a result of the dumping of mining debris through the centuries. Here in the inner marketplace houses, largely late gothic, ranged around a triangular market square. The typical Hallstatt house is long and narrow, the best use of the limited space and the steep topography. The lower floors are built in natural stone with a barrel support vaulting supporting wooden upper floors, as is usual in the Alpine region. Only a few retain the original flat gable roof covered with wooden boards or shingles. The southern part of the city, called In der Lahn, situated at the mouth of the Echterntal, is largely 18th-century date, many built after the 1750 fire.

Among the more notable buildings are the St Mary's Roman Catholic parish church built in the late 15th century in replacement of an older Romanesque structure that survive. Ago have only minor damage during the 1750 fire are only Baroque characteristics are the roof and the multi-tiered spire. It still contains a number of works, including a late gothic altarpiece of the Astl workshop. The small St. -Michael Chapel and Charnel House is a Gothic building in the small cemetery immediately north of the parish church. The basement, visible on the ground level, contains a beautiful collection human skulls and bones, the skulIs is marked with names and other details of the deceased.

The property also features the Dachstein Mountains, rising to approximately 3000 m, the highest of the karst massifs in the northern limestone Alps. They are characterized by the large number of caves which they contain, the longest the Hillatzhöhle (81 km). Each cave speleologically is different, but the fact that they enjoy internal management proposes a range of information and experience available in a coherent program of conservation, accessibility and interpretation. The Dachstein-Rieseneishöhle is the most impressive ice cave in Austria. Some parts of the mines are now accessible for visitors, including in areas safe for displays resulting from the continuing program of archaeological investigation. The Dachstein Massif is exceptionally under Alpine karstic system areas for the ice age. The landscape takes eight different forms: each of these zones has its own climate and therefore a characteristic flora and fauna.

Historical Data

Recent research has shown that deep in the Salzberg systematic salt production was carried out in the region in the Middle Bronze Age (later 2ND millennium V. CHR. ).  Natural brine is laid down in deep basins and vaporised in special ceramic vessels. Of great importance in the history of salt extraction, this development is of great importance in the history of the Iron Age Hallstatt Culture and to the importance of the area as a 'reservoir' for further scientific research and more understanding. Underground mining for salt began at the end of the Late Bronze Age, with a shaft technique taken from copper mining. This production was stopped for a relatively short time, possibly because political events causes a break in the trade. The weather in the 8th century BC, this time using a system of drift mining with horizontal galleries. Proof of both techniques is found in the Salzbergtal.

The prehistoric cemetery associated with the industrial activities, discovered in the 1840s, is the site for the first phase of the early iron age in Europe known as archaeologists as the Hallstatt Culture. It was in use in two periods: the 8th and 7th century BC and again in the 6th century BC. The rich large goods, both local and imported luxury materials, witnesses of a stratified and very well organised society, trade widely in eastern Europe, the Baltic and the Adriatic Sea.

Salt extraction continued in the region well in the Roman period, and a Roman industrial settlement discovered in the Echterntal. Afterwards, there is no evidence of the salt is being abused in the early 14th century. However, the name of the medieval city, derived from the West German hall (salt) and the Old High German stat (settlement), first mentioned in an act of 1305, is testimony to its primary function. Title to the salt mines of Trauenkirchen monastery to the Austrian Crown, and the town received to keep the markets.  

Salt production requires large amounts of wood, thought the mines and fuel for evaporation and therefore forestry operations were also controlled by the Crown officials. Until the beginning of the 16th century salt-mining licenses were usually leased to independent bourgeoisie, but these were systematically eliminated in 1524 and mining and forestry Crown came under direct management. This resulted in the construction of a number of important technical characteristics, such as the wooden brine pipeline began in 1595. During the Reformation, protestantism acquired many followers under the min ers and foresters of the Hallstatt region, but they are not allowed in the exercise of their faith publicly to the toleration edict of 1781.

A disastrous band in 1750 destroyed most of the medieval heart of Hallstatt. This was followed by massive building in Late baroque style, which distinguish between the city center up to the present day. There was a tree in salt production at the beginning of the 19th century, for the financing of the war against France, but the return of peace saw an abrupt collapse. Despite technical innovations, such as the introduction of electrical energy and the construction of a rail link, which imports of coal (1877), The salt pans finally closed in 1965. However, salt production remains high despite the brine is now discharged to the valley to a modern plant in Ebersee; only sorne sixty men are employed in a very efficient mining operations which is characterised by strong mechanised and computerised databases. Sorne parts of the mines are now accessible for visitors, including the areas safe for displays resulting from the continuing program of archaeological research.

However, the decline of the industrial basis coincided with the emergence of a new factor, the recognition of the aesthetic, cultural and natural qualities of the area by writers such as Adalbert Stifter, novelist and barrel conservator of Upper Austria, the dramatic poet Franz Grillparzer, And most of the leading painters of the Biedermeier-school. The first hotel on the growing number of tourists is built in 1855, followed by the first public brine baths in the 1860s. Since that time the area has steadily increased its popularity as a major tourist attraction.

Source:whc/unesco