Salzkammergut truly is Austria’s hidden treasure in the Austrian Alps and Hallstatt is its oft photographed setting.

On the Way to Gosau

Normally when places in the Austria Alps are mentioned, you hear of Tirol, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Kitzbuhel, St. Anton and such but, not Salzkammergut, which by the way translates to something like “Salt Chamber Place”.

The “salt” comes from the fact that salt mining has been a major staple of the area going back 5,000 years when it was discovered, and has been mined for over 3,000 years. Some 230 million years ago the area used to be an ocean floor. Nature sure does wonders over the eons.

Salzkammergut is not a specific town, village or state, rather it is an area situated mostly south and east of Salzburg that takes in parts of three Austrian states – Salzburg, Styria and Upper Austria. It’s a beautiful Alpine region with numerous large mountain lakes, meadows, hot mineral springs, little quaint villages and just great outdoors. There’s the Wolfgangsee,  Fusslsee, Hallstattsee, Wolfgangsee and Grundlsee (lakes) among others.

Part of the Red Bull Campus

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Swarovski and fine crystal are synonymous and when in Austria and the Tirol area, do take the opportunity to visit its facilities and Kristallwelten (Crystal world), located in Wattens, a small town just east of Innsbruck. Drop by on your own or take a tour out of Innsbruck – Kristallwelten, beginning with the fountain at the entrance, will amaze you.

Fountain at Entrance of Kristallwelten

Swarovski Crystal had its origins in Bohemia, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and is now part of the Czech Republic. Daniel Swarovski, its founder moved manufacturing from Bohemia to Watten, Austria in 1895 to take advantage of the hydro-electric power required by his newly patented precision crystal cutting and polishing machine. In fact, the fine gem quality of the Swarovski crystal products are a direct result of its precision cutting and polishing expertise.

Today, the Swarovski Crystal products, are known for their fine jewelry quality and the creations include; crystal glass sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor, and chandeliers. The Swarovski Group, of which Swarovski Crystal represent a major portion is a multi-billion dollar international corporation, with production facilities in 18 countries and distribution in 42.  Read more... (753 words, 3 images, estimated 3:01 mins reading time)