Church with exciting history

As if to hide, the Catholic parish church of Hallstatt nestles the mountain. Together with the world-famous Ossuary and the contemplative mountain cemetery, the historic pilgrimage church is one of the magnets for guests from all over the world on their visit to Lake Hallstatt. Well known far beyond the borders of Austria, is the late Gothic winged altar by master craftsman Leonhard Astl, which is regarded as the foundation of the miners and represents an art historical peculiarity. In addition, today's starting point of the colourful Corpus Christi procession was once a crime scene for one of the most spectacular art thefts.

Late historical footsteps

But let's go back a long way into the history of today's holiday resort at the foot of the local mountain, the “Plassen”. Renowned historians have discovered that in the temporal course of a more than 7,000-year settlement history around the Hallstatt Salt Mountain, the history of the Catholic Church only shares the last seventh. For the evidence of any form of Christianity among the Romans, who made their salt business here up to the time of the Migration Period, is not to be found in the existing finds.

Again and again, historians have delved deep into the history of this place of worship, but not always were the experts able to draw a complete historical picture of the parish church: Especially over the centuries of the Great Migration of Peoples lies deep uncertainties. After the first monastery foundations in Mondsee in 748 a.d. and Kremsmünster in 777 a.d., and especially then in Traunkirchen 1000 a.d., the valley of the Traun was increasingly developed and also

Christianised.

Historians assume that the first Christian community was formed around the year 1050 a.d. and who probably had a small Romanesque church no later than 1181 a.d. The mighty 12th century tower still bears witness to this.

Changing homeowners

The late Gothic then dared to build over the steeply sloping rocks and until 1505, the existing church was completed. Soon after, the two-nave church stood in the middle of the harsh religious wars and temporarily changed its ministry between Catholics and Protestants.

However, it always remained the darling of all salt manufacturers and the rich gentlemen on the Salzberg, in the market or the court. Since 1939, the concern for this gem lies entirely with the small parish and friends and visitors. In 2002, the Catholic parish church was completely renovated.

CSI Hallstatt: The Art theft thriller

In the 1980’s, the Catholic parish church became the scene of a spectacular criminal case, which puzzled investigators throughout Europe for more than thirty years: in 1987, an Italian couple tore out and took four Gothic paintings from the small altar of Mary in the Hallstatt parish church. Specialised art theft investigators suspect that after that, two of them were more than likely re-framed and privately owned. The other two probably spent the last decades in a warehouse and are therefore worse off than the others. During a raid in Italy in 2017, all images of this unique for Hallstatt crime story were secured. From the spring of 2018, the former abducted works of art will again be on view in one of the most beautiful churches in the Salzkammergut.

Our tip: If you are good on foot, why not combine a visit to the church estate with a short walk on the "Hallstätter Höhenweg". This begins at the back of the cemetery, leads up a few steps to a beautiful lookout point called "Marienruhe" and continues "over the roofs of Hallstatt" to the Salzberg cable car. Highly Recommended.

Hallstatt Charnel House Hallstatt | With over 1200 skulls (more than 600 of which are painted and sorted by family), this small chapel is one of the most popular locations with visitors to Hallstatt.

The cemetery of Hallstatt Hallstatt | The cemetery: The rocky grounds of the parish church became the Hallstatt cemetery. The front is assigned the Evangelist Christians. Following the rules of the cemetery there are no family graves. Themed tour “Religion“ When looking at Hallstatt, you can see how people's beliefs shaped the overall appearance of the World Heritage town. On our 1 ½ hour journey through the picturesque alleys.

Events Chruch service of the Catholic Church of Hallstatt Christmas Eve Mass of the Catholic Church of Hallstatt Holy Mass in the Catholic Church of Hallstatt on the holiday "Christmas Eve" in German language. Christmas Eve late-night Mass of the Catholic Church of Hallstatt Christmas Eve late-night Mass of the Catholic Church of Hallstatt in German language. Christmas Mass on 1st Day of Christmas in the Catholic Church of Hallstatt Christmas Mass on 2nd Day of Christmas in the Catholic Church of Hallstatt Corpus Christi procession Hallstatt 2021 Colourful Corpus Christi procession in the Catholic parish church, the romantic marketplace and the unique Lake Hallstatt. A truly "heavenly" experience!

Always well-informed When is the next cable car to the Dachstein Plateau in Obertraun? When does the next sightseeing ship depart from Hallstatt? With the four tourism platforms of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hallstatt Dachstein Salzkammergut // www.hallstatt.net // www.bad-goisern.net // www.obertraun.net // www.gosautal.net // you will always stay up-to-date on current hours of operation, itineraries and more. If you’d like to use this information for during your stay in the holiday region of Dachstein Salzkammergut, then we would suggest that you save the appropriate website of your holiday destination in your favourites list on your smartphone or tablet. Then, you will always be informed during your holiday in the Salzkammergut. We hope to see you in Hallstatt, Gosau, Bad Goisern and Obertraun!