The town of Hallstatt covers an area of nearly 60 km², located in Gmunden District, Upper Austria. It sits on the southwestern shore of Lake Hallstatt and on the slopes of Hoher Dachstein Mountain in the Salzkammergut region. In May, the American travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler ranked Hallstatt among the 50 most beautiful towns in the world.

Hallstatt is also home to the oldest salt mine in the world, dating back 7,000 years. Before the pandemic, the town was one of Europe’s most popular destinations, welcoming more than 10,000 visitors per day, while the local population numbered fewer than 800 residents. The tourism boom has brought significant economic benefits. In 2019, Mayor Alexander Schuetz stated that “tourism dollars have become an indispensable part of the town’s economy.”