Preserve

How can we manage, guide, and limit tourism and its associated traffic and social impacts in Hallstatt?

The goal is to keep our living environment and that of the surrounding communities attractive, thereby improving the quality of life for us and future generations.

In doing so, we ensure that:

• Hallstatt remains accessible,
• Contact between residents and tourists is respectful, and
• The economic basis for a good quality of life, as well as opportunities for young people in the town, is maintained and enhanced.

Participatory Solutions for Sustainable Tourism in the German-Austrian Alps

• Involvement of local residents, stakeholders, and tourism professionals (surveys, workshops)
• Easing high tourist concentrations – broadening the range of offerings
• Implementation of digital, integrated solutions
• Aligning peak tourist periods with the needs of the local population

Duration: 11/2022 – 10/2025

The research of the Prehistoric Department currently focuses not only on the study of the burial grounds and mining facilities but also on the surrounding economic system.

Hallstatt research has its own website and provides updates through two weblogs: the Stiegen Blog offers insights into the work surrounding the relocation of the over 3,000-year-old wooden ladder from the Hallstatt salt mine.

Our Craft – Cultural Heritage and Vision for the Future

The HAND.WERK.HAUS inspires. It represents a group of craftsmen and craftswomen from across the Salzkammergut and demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural heritage as part of our present and future—not with a romanticized, backward-looking view, but as a positive impulse for the local economy, fostering a consciously lived future for craftsmanship and creative expression.

The HAND.WERK.HAUS promotes and preserves important intangible heritage, continuing traditional techniques and actively supporting the conservation of tangible heritage. Joint events are held there on an ongoing basis.

With the Austrian Federal Monuments Office, qualifying projects are regularly carried out.

On World Heritage Day 2024, Mayor Leopold Schilcher, the Upper Austria State Conservator Daniel Resch, Heinz Gruber from the Archaeology Department of the Federal Monuments Office, Gregor Radinger from ICOMOS Austria, and World Heritage Manager Bernd Paulowitz discussed the preservation and protection of the World Heritage site: What do we want to protect, and how can we implement it? The public panel discussion provided a relaxed setting for participants to discuss conservation, protection, and interpretation in the World Heritage context.

The Federal Monuments Office supports the development of an attribute inventory to assess projects and the condition of the site.

Together, a guideline for "Developing in the World Heritage Site" is also being created.

Initial Situation

The region contains many cultural and natural elements worth preserving. The project “Preserving Heritage Together” aims to document these elements and safeguard the region’s history by combining the strengths of two existing contemporary history initiatives: the Topothek and the Cultural Landscape Register WHEIM.

Planned Measures

The project includes establishing technical infrastructure for Topotheken in four municipalities, forming citizen science teams to collect and document images and stories, and organizing collection cafés, research days, and school workshops.

Goals

The project seeks to establish a citizen participation process, raise awareness of the region, build a network of history enthusiasts, and create a publicly accessible documentation of the cultural heritage.

Target Groups

The project is aimed at history-focused associations, private individuals, students, and all generations.

Costs and Funding

Funding comes from the association Welterbemanagement’s own resources and LEADER grants.

Timeline

The project runs from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028.

Project Organization

The project is implemented by the Welterbemanagement Association for the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape.