Residents of Hallstatt in Austria, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, are tired of all the tourists who come to take pictures.
The village is said to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of Arendelle in Disney’s Frozen, which has attracted tourists from all over the world.
Hallstatt is known for its architecture and long history. It attracts up to a million visitors each year – and up to 90 tour buses every day.
Short time: Tourists only stop to take pictures, they don’t spend any time or money in the village. Photo: NTP Scanpix
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The population protested
However, the constant influx of tourists has become too much for the roughly 750 permanent residents. Last weekend, about 100 permanent residents blocked the main tunnel into the city in protest.
One of the protest signs read: “Stop the traffic chaos – it’s making us sick.” Another message read: “Everything is for the tourists, and nothing for us.”
– Hallstatt no longer depends on tourism, but rather suffers from overpopulation, says permanent resident Friedrich Edam (62 years old). NBC News.
Mayor Aleksander Schweetz (SPÖ) is completely fed up:
– We have too many tourists at the moment and solutions must be found to reduce the number of visitors, Schweetz tells the channel.
– I was really shocked
I fist took a selfie
In May, the authorities erected a high wooden fence to prevent tourists from lining up at the fence along the main road and taking selfies.
Residents believe that the selfie activity “makes life hell”, according to Storavisa Crown.
Not everyone liked the ostentatious fence, and after a wave of protests, it was removed again shortly after.
Short Lifespan: The wooden fence is put up – only to be taken down again within a short period of time. Photo: Reinhard Hormandegger/APA/AFP/NTB
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This is not the first time that residents’ discontent with tourists has aroused interest. Before, the village set, among other things, a limit on the number of cars and buses that could pass through the city per day.
A large part of the tourists visiting Hallstatt come from Asia, and Schweetz’s own predecessor was present when a replica of the village was opened as a tourist attraction in China in 2012.
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