Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Maria am Berg) — Attraction in Hallstatt

Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Maria am Berg) @ Hallstatt ⛪🌙🇦🇹 📍 Catholic Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary

Perched above the village, the Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt is a beautiful Gothic-style church with roots dating back to the 15th century. Its elevated position offers sweeping views over Hallstätter See and the surrounding mountains, making it a worthwhile stop even if you don’t go inside.

We passed by during an evening walk, when the daytime crowds had already gone. The path leading up was calm and quiet, lit by the soft glow of the village below. After admiring the church’s stone façade and peaceful surroundings, we followed the walkway back toward the village, enjoying the stillness of Hallstatt at night.

The church’s location also places it right beside the Charnel House, so the area carries a deep sense of history. At night, the atmosphere feels especially serene.

🧭 Tip: Visit in the late afternoon if you want to explore inside before closing time, or take an evening stroll for a quiet, crowd-free experience with beautiful night views...

The church's best feature is how it sits in the village's landscape, sitting pretty on a lofty cliff, and this village happens to be super Instagramable. This is the older of Hallstatt's two main churches, this being the Catholic church. The church itself is defiantly a very nice but is not special if it were seen somewhere not where it is. The base of the tower is 12th-century Romanesque, but most of the main church is a 15th-century reconstruction. For those interested in those kinds of things, the Renaissance frescoes above the wall are a neat example of the Danube School. The Mary Altar is cool and all, and you certainly should visit the church if you've come to Hallstatt, but it's no destination in its own right. Many will instead recommend the ossuary, and that is a must-see! Goods views of the lake, but not as good as near the entrance to the mines. Like the rest of the village, the churches suffers from overtourism. The church is closed to tourists...

A beautiful, peaceful church with an interesting charnel house in the graveyard. This beautiful church sits above the town and commands wonderful views of the lake and the mountains. There is a graveyard, with carved wooden crosses above small graves. Behind the graveyard sits a charnel house or ossuary. This is quite small compared to ossuaries in other places, but is unusual in that the names of the deceased are painted on the skulls, along with the date of their passing, and symbols of their life on earth. Inside the church itself are two intricately carved medieval woodworks. There had been a robbery and some Gothic artworks were stolen, but they have since been recovered and now are back in their true place. The church is free to enter, but the ossuary has a small maintenance fee of 1.50...