This Is Why I Love Austria

As beautiful as the town of Hallstatt Austria is, it also contains a huge ossuary (a building or container that contains bones) of painted skulls. Their collection however, isn't sinister in origin. The towns tiny cemetery became over crowded. The town leaders then came up with the idea of 'renting' grave space which after a decade or so was dug up and the bones were then housed in a ossuary after being ornately painted by loved ones. The full story of this place could be found HERE.


"Halstatt is known as the oldest continuous human settlement, with archaeological finds dating back to 5000 BC. It’s one of the most beautiful lakeside mountain resorts on the face of the Earth, but tourists come here not primarily for the breathtaking scenery, but for something many people might find rather disturbing, a crypt filled with human skulls."

My mother loves 'The Sound of Music' so one of the first places we visited when we lived in Germany was nearby Austria. I have been in Hitlers mountain top 'Eagle's Nest' and seen this ossuary for myself. The two just don't seem to fit in the fairytale land that is so incredibly beautiful that you never want to leave.