Hallstatt Parish Cemetery & Beinhaus

The Hallstatt charnel house holds over 1,200 skulls, most of them painted with floral patterns, names, and death dates by relatives who wanted to keep their dead identifiable after the bones were exhumed from the overcrowded churchyard. The practice continued into the 20th century. The most recent skull is dated 1995. This is not a horror attraction.

The Hallstatt charnel house holds more than 1,200 skulls, most painted by relatives with names, dates, and floral patterns so that each person remained identifiable within the communal bone collection. The practice arose from a simple necessity: the mountainside churchyard had almost no room to expand, so graves were regularly cleared and the bones transferred here. The most recent skull is dated 1995. It sits above the Hallstatt Marktplatz in the parish church cemetery, a short uphill walk from the lakefront. Allow 15 to 20 minutes. Small admission fee applies. Pair with the Hallstatt Museum for the archaeology layer and the Old Town for context on the village’s full history.