Ossuary in Hallstatt, building in Hallstatt, Austria
The ossuary in Hallstatt is a small chapel-like building housing over 600 painted skulls neatly arranged in rows. The remains come from residents whose graves were emptied after about ten to twenty years to make space in the mountain-bound cemetery.
The building dates to the 12th century and became part of St. Michael's Chapel, as the tight settlement between lake and mountain left little burial space. Beginning in the early 1700s, skulls were painted and marked with death dates, a practice that continues to this day.
The ossuary reflects how Hallstatt residents have long honored their dead through painted skulls and personal symbols. Families continue to choose this practice today, keeping the tradition alive as a meaningful way to remember loved ones within their community.
The ossuary sits on a hillside above the lake and is reached on foot from the cemetery behind the Catholic Church; several paths with stairs or cobblestone ramps lead upward. Visitors should be respectful, speak quietly, and not touch the bones, as this is a place of remembrance.
The most recent skull was added in 1983 from a woman who specifically requested to be placed here, and this tradition still allows living Hallstatt residents to ask in their wills for admission. After ten years in the ossuary, each skull is cleaned and repainted to refresh its appearance.
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