Sights in Salzkammergut
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Seeschloss Ort
On the western shore, a pretty nature reserve known as Toscana Park forms a backdrop to Seeschloss Ort. This castle on the lake is believed to have been built on the ruins of a Roman fortress. It dates from 909 or earlier (rebuilt in the 17th century after a fire) and has a picturesque courtyard, a late-Gothic external staircase and sgraffito from 1578.
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Wallfahrtskirche
St Wolfgang’s impressive Wallfahrtskirche is a spectacular gallery of religious art, with glittering altars (from Gothic to baroque), an extravagant pulpit, a fine organ and countless statues and paintings. The most impressive piece is the winged high altar, created by celebrated religious artist Michael Pacher between 1471 and 1481 – it’s a perfect example of the German Gothic style, enhanced with the technical achievements of Renaissance Italy.
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Dachstein Caves
Climb to the Dachstein caves and you'll find yourself in a strange world of ice and subterranean hollows extending 80km in places. The ice in the Giant Ice Cave is no more than 500 years old, forming an 'ice mountain' 8m high - twice as high now as it was when the caves were first explored in 1910. Both caves are 15 minutes' steep walking from the first stage of the Dachstein cable car at 1350m, and each cave tour lasts an hour.
To make sure you see both caves, take the cable car up by 13:00 and do the Mammoth Cave first, allowing 30 to 45 minutes to reach the Giant Ice Cave from the Mammoth Cave.
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Salzbergwerk
Situated high above Hallstatt on Salzberg (Salt Mountain) is another major cultural attraction, the fascinating Salzbergwerk. In 1734 the fully preserved body of a prehistoric miner was found and today he is known as the ‘Man in Salt’. The standard tour revolves around his fate, with visitors travelling down an underground railway and miner’s slides (a photo is taken of you while sliding) to an illuminated subterranean salt lake. Closing times given are admission for the last tour.
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Beinhaus
This small charnel house contains rows of neatly stacked skulls, painted with flowery designs and the names of their former owners. Bones have been exhumed from the overcrowded graveyard since 1600 and the last skull in the collection was added in 1995. The Beinhaus stands in the grounds of the 15th-century Catholic Pfarrkirche and has Gothic frescoes and three winged altars; arguably the best one, on the right, dates from 1510 and shows saints Barbara and Katharina, with Mary in the middle.
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Kaiservilla
Franz Josef’s summer residence was the Kaiservilla, an Italianate building that was bought by his mother, the Princess Sophie, as an engagement present for her son and Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria. Elisabeth, who loathed the villa and her husband in equal measure, spent little time there, but the emperor came to love it and it became his permanent summer residence for over 60 years. His mistress, Katharina Schratt, lived nearby in a house chosen for her by the empress.
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Muzikinstumente-Museum der Völker
The cosy little Muzikinstumente-Museum der Völker is home to 1500 musical instruments from all over the world, all of them collected by one family of music teachers. The son of the family, Askold zum Eck, can play them all and will happily demonstrate for hours. Visitors are welcome to have a go at anything from an African drum to an Indian sitar.
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Museum Für Historische Sanitärobjeckte
The Museum für Historische Sanitärobjeckte is basically a monumental collection of toilets. Here you can discover the difference between ‘wash-down’ and ‘wash-out’ models, and if you thought the latter with its flat poop deck and horizontal splash is just an anally obsessive Central European quirk, this museum vividly explodes the myth. The British were perching on these in the 19th century.
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Altaussee Salzbergwerk
Situated near the Altaussee about 6km north of Bad Aussee, this is still a working salt mine and was the secret hiding place of art treasures stolen by the Nazis during WWII. Tours include the treasure chambers, an underground lake and a chapel made of blocks of salt and dedicated to St Barbara, the patron saint of miners. All tours are bilingual in German and English. Hourly buses run to Altaussee from the post office (€1.90, 10 minutes).
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Parish Church
If you’re allergic to the film The Sound of Music, there’s just one piece of advice: blow town. Even the lemon-yellow baroque facade (added in 1740, incidentally) of the 15th-century parish church achieved notoriety by featuring in those highly emotional Von Trapp wedding scenes in the film.
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Kammerhof Museum
Kammerhof Museum, housed in a beautiful 17th-century building, covers local history and salt production. There are also some portraits of Anna Plöchl, the local postmaster’s daughter who scandalously married a Habsburg prince. All explanations are in German but there’s an English sheet available.
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Rieseneishöhle
The best of the caves is the Rieseneishöhle. The enormous ice formations here are illuminated with coloured light and the shapes they take are eerie and surreal. The cave can only be seen on a guided tour, and if you let the tour guide know, they will do the tour with English as well as German commentaries.
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Dachsteinhöhlen
Climb to the Dachstein caves and you’ll find yourself in a strange world of ice and subterranean hollows extending 80km in places. The two caves take about 15 minutes to reach by foot in different directions from the Schönbergalm cable-car station at 1350m. Tours of each cave last an hour.
The ice in the Rieseneishöhle is no more than 500 years old, forming an ‘ice mountain’ 8m high – twice as high now as it was when the caves were first explored in 1910. The formations here are illuminated with coloured light and the shapes they take are eerie and surreal. This cave can only be seen on a guided tour; if you let the tour guide know, they will do the tour with English…
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Mammuthöhle
The Mammuthöhle is among the 30 or so deepest and longest caves in the world and is without ice formations. Tours give insight into the formation of the cave, which like the Rieseneishöhle, has installations and works of art based on light and shadow to heighten the experience.
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Stadtmuseum Gmunden
By May 2008 the Museum for Historical Sanitary Objects will be housed in the same building as the Stadtmuseum Gmunden; the museum is closed for renovation until then. Once it opens you can expect displays on the history of Gmunden and the salt trade, as well as a gallery.
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Pfarrkirche
The Beinhaus stands in the grounds of the 15th-century Catholic Pfarrkirche and has Gothic frescoes and three winged altars; arguably the best one, on the right, dates from 1510 and shows saints Barbara and Katharina, with Mary in the middle.
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Heimatkundliches Museum
The town museum won an award a few years back for its eclectic collection ranging from embroidery (originally manufactured in the building) to 4700 animal specimens and religious objects.
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Stadtmuseum
The City Museum showcases the history of Bad Ischl and stages changing exhibitions inside the building where Franz Josef and Elisabeth were engaged (the day after they met at a ball).
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Dachsteinsport Janu
Celtic and Roman excavations can be seen downstairs in Dachsteinsport Janu, a shop opposite the tourist office, or near the Salzbergwerk, where excavation continues.
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Pfarrkirche
North of the Rathausplatz is the 12th-century Pfarrkirche, a Gothic church later remodelled in baroque style and with an altar (dating from 1678) by the sculptor Thomas Schwanthaler (1634–1707).
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Koppenbrüllerhöhlen
The Koppenbrüllerhöhlen are water-filled caves and part of the same Dachstein cave system. They’re down the valley towards Bad Aussee.
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Museum Mondseeland und Pfahlbaumuseum
Next door to the church, the museum has displays on Stone Age finds and the monastic culture of the region (Mondsee is a very old monastery site).
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Schloss Weyer
Palace containing a good collection of porcelain, silver and jewellery.
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Ausseer Lebkuchen
Tours of a working gingerbread factory. A cafe is on the premises.
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Cable Car
The local peak here is Mt Katrin (1542m), with walking trails and limited skiing in winter. A cable car glides up there.
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