Hide this view that I cannot see... The Austrian village of Hallstatt has chosen to erect an anti-tourist barrier to limit selfies in front of the beauty of its landscape. A picturesque landscape that inspired the kingdom of Arendelle from the Disney film "Frozen".
If the wooden palisade only partially obstructs the contemplation of the Alps and the lake that borders the village classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, its presence is mainly part of a protest against mass tourism.
Noise
"We have reacted to the complaints of the inhabitants" of the locality, explained to AFP an official of the municipality who does not wish to give his name, adding that the work took place last week. The barrier was erected in the hope that tourists would no longer flock to one of the most popular places to take selfies, generating noise pollution. The duration of its installation will depend on the reaction to this decision, according to the representative interviewed.
With its traditional houses plunging into the cliffside of a lake with pure waters and the spire of its church pointing to the sky, Hallstatt, which received around one million visitors a year before the Covid-19 pandemic, has once again become a popular place for Internet users. The village was copied life-size in China. It is also popular in South Korea since a television series in which Hallstatt is mentioned.
" READ ALSO Switzerland: victim of the success of a South Korean series on Netflix, a village taxes tourists
Popularized by films and series, several villages had to face a sudden and suffered increase in the number of tourists. Measures are therefore being taken to limit its magnitude. Regulate their access by taxes, for example, or spoil the beauty of the landscape by erecting a palisade as in Hallstatt.