Salzkammergut

Salzkammergut, Austria: Hallstätter See

Salzkammergut, region, north-central Austria. The region consists mainly of the Traun River basin and is renowned for its lake and mountain scenery. Often called the Austrian “Lake District,” it has more than 30 lakes, including the Atter, Traun, Mond, Wolfgang (Aber), and Hallstätter. The highest mountains in the region, the Dachstein Gruppe, lie to the south and rise as high as 9,826 feet (2,995 metres); along with the Totes Gebirge (Dead Mountains) and the Warscheneck, they are limestone massifs.

The district owes its name (meaning “Salt Chamber Possessions”) to the salt deposits at Hallstatt, Bad Ischl, and Bad Aussee, which have been mined since the Iron Age. An evaporation plant operates at Ebensee. The region’s timber is important for use in building construction and for paper and fibre making. Also of economic importance are cattle breeding and dairy farming, hydroelectric power (Vorderer Gosau Lake), and the manufacture of cement and ceramics (at Gmunden). But the major source of income is the tourist trade, with the main resorts at Gmunden, Bad Ischl, Sankt Wolfgang, and Bad Aussee.