Lake Village
Lake Village may be the most beautiful place in the Salzkammergut, the lake region of Austria known for its fabulous beauty, but that's debatable. What's beyond debate is that this small town is also the most significant and interesting place in the Salzkammergut. Lake Village has been at the heart of European civilization for thousands of years, and its wealth of archaeological treasures provide insight into ancient cultures.
The small market town sits next to a lake of the same name — Lake Village, or Hallstätter See in German. It's houses are stuck onto a steep hillside like swallows nests, and on calm and clear days, the whole town is reflected in the lake.
Every square foot of buildable real estate is put to use. One row of houses is separated from the one below it by a narrow alley, wide enough for walking, hardly wide enough for a car. Every house has a view. One famous resident (I don't recall his name) once said that Lake Village is one of the most dangerous towns for walking home at night, drunk. It's easy to fall off the street and into your neighbor's house. Another said: "If you are in a hurry, make a detour" (Herzmanosko-Orlando). I presume he meant through a neighbor's house, and he made his remark at a time when the easiest way to get from one end of town to the other was by boat.
The Lake Village See has often been compared to a fjord, and because it is surrounded by towering mountains and has been carved by glaciers, the comparison is appropriate. The lake is narrow, though not particularly long or large. It's about 3.7 miles long and 1.4 miles wide.