Hallstatt

In midst the mystical Salzkammergut Lake Region lies Hallstatt, Austria’s oldest village, who’s culture dates back to the 8th century B.C. Quite possibly the most photographed Austrian village, Hallstatt is visually framed by the Hallstaettersee and the massive Dachstein mountain range.


Arriving in Hallstatt is quite the experience in itself. With the train station on one side of lake and the village itself on the other, you need to take a ferry across the lake to get there and are thus awarded with a spectacular first impression of this famous Alpine village.

Once there, the local museum shows artifacts found in burial grounds around the area spanning the last 7000 years. A short walk to St. Michael’s chapel reveals one of the more unique objects on display in Hallstatt: hand-painted skulls – neatly arranged in the bone house / ossuary – and yes you read that correctly. Due to its limited available space Hallstatt is the only village in Austria where long buried skulls and bones are often eventually hand painted, stacked neatly, and put on display.

Another local treasure: Salt, over centuries the source of Hallstatt’s wealth. We urge you to visit and to literally slide down deep into the world’s oldest salt mines. Once inside at “Hörnerwerk" cavern you will discover a subterranean salt lake and become acquainted with the tragic fate of the prehistoric miner who became world-famous as the "Man preserved in the salt”

Miskolctapolca

The Cave Bath is a thermal bath in a natural cave in Miskolctapolca, which is part of the city of Miskolc, Hungary, another cave bath is only at Sklene Teplice, Slovakia.

The thermal water (temperature: 30°C/86°F) is reputed to reduce joint pain, and since it has a lower salt content than most thermal waters (around 1000 mg/liter), people can bathe in it for much longer, practically an unlimited amount of time. The Cave Bath can be visited all year long, except for January.

The cave and the thermal spring have been known since ancient times, but Tapolca became a popular bathing place only after the Ottoman occupation of Hungary (16th-17th century). During this time the area belonged to the Greek Orthodox abbey of Görömböly; the development of Tapolca into a bathing place was the idea of the abbot in 1711. He also brought doctors from Kassa, today Košice, Slovakia to examine the beneficial effects of the water. Three pools and an inn were constructed in 1723. The cave itself was not used yet, as the pools were outside. The water was colder than it is now, because the cold water springs of Tapolca (which now play an important role in providing Miskolc with drinking water) were used too. By the mid-18th century, after a short period of popularity, the bath was neglected and by the 19th century the buildings were in ruins.