Lake Altaussee

In the heart of the Alps, this huge, mirror-like lake near the Altaussee town and the extraordinary Jausenstation Seewiese log cabin is surrounded by the vast, snowy mountains of Austria. When the weather is good, it is a truly idyllic resort in the countryside, but if the weather turns bad it becomes a dramatic and harsh location, with one tiny shelter surrounded by nature. It is quite an unusual Austrian location, because instead of it being kept perfectly, the fields are quite marshy and the houses are rather rundown. The salt mines near Altaussee have played an interesting role in history. During World War II the Nazis hid the artworks that they stole from Europe’s museums and studios, such as the Ghent Altarpiece, Bruegels and Manets. By the end of the war there were more than 6500 artworks stored there, of an estimated value of 3.5 billion US dollars, collected by Adolf Hitler to exhibit in the Führermuseum in the future. Another fun fact is that Klaus Maria Brandauer lives in this town, an actor and director who starred in the Oscar winning film Mephisto.