Editing Hallstatt (section)

===19th century===
[[File:Hallstatt 1899. pogled sa sjevera.jpg|thumb|A view of Hallstatt in 1899]]
[[File:1 hallstatt austria.jpg|thumb|Hallstatt viewed from the south, [[Hallstatt Museum]]]]

Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow [[trail]]s. The land between the lake and mountains was sparse, and the town itself exhausted every free patch of it. Access between houses on the river bank was by boat or over the ''upper path'', a small corridor passing through attics. The first road to Hallstatt was only built in 1890, along the west shore, partially by rock blasting. Nevertheless, this secluded and inhospitable landscape counts as one of the first places of [[human]] settlement due to the rich sources of natural [[salt]], which have been mined for thousands of years, originally in the shape of hearts owing to the use of [[antler]] picks.<ref name="virtual"/>