"Charnel House" in Hallstatt

The Hallstatt Charnel House dates back to 1200 AD. There are 1200 sculls kept in this "karner" (room storing bones). The term "caro" is Latin and means "meat" or "flesh".

610 of the sculls have been hand-painted and the date of death has been inscribed on them before being stored (the sculls of members of individual families are stored together).
The charnel house was established as the church yard was simply too small and there was no space available to extend it. Also, cremations were not allowed in those days. Therefore, 10 - 15 years after a burial, graves were dug up again, and skulls and long bones were removed as they took up so much space. The sculls were then "cleaned" and then left outside, day and night, for a few weeks until all that remained of the sculls was a pale ivory-like surface. Wreaths of flowers were traditionally laid on graves, and consequently flowers were normally painted on the sculls of artists and sometimes on other exhumed sculls. This tradition, which began in the year 1720, was seen as a sign of love.

The last scull (situated to the right of the cross) was placed in the charnel house in 1995, at the personal request of a lady who died in 1983 (a gold tooth remains intact).

Anyone who would like to have their scull placed in the charnel house must request this in their will. 10 years after burial, the scull is exhumed, chemically cleaned and painted. The two sculls underneath the cross have had a snake painted on them; the snake being symbolic of death and the sins of Adam and Eve. Above them is the cross; symbol of redemption. The sculls resting on books are those of former priests.

PAINTINGS
Oak Leaves - symbol of fame/importance
Laurel - symbol of victory
Ivy - symbol of life
Roses - symbol of love

Nowadays it is no longer necessary to exhume human remains as cremation has become increasingly common-place. Urns are then either placed on top of graves, or here in Hallstatt there is also a grave yard especially for cremation urns. Otherwise they are kept in the cemetery by the crematorium in Salzburg. Requests for remains to be stored in the Charnel House are very rare nowadays. Burials continue to be carried out. A grave can bu re-used after a minimum of ten years. The small grave enclosure is opened and the coffin laid to rest.

Opening times:
Mai and October: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
June to August: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Price:
Adults: EUR 1,50
Children: EUR 0,50

Ferienregion Dachstein-Salzkammergut
Tourismusverband Inneres Salzkammergut
Geschäftsstelle Hallstatt

Seestraße 169, 4830 Hallstatt
Tel.: +43 (0)6134 8208

e-Mail: hallstatt@dachstein-salzkammergut.at
Web: http://www.oberoesterreich.at/hallstatt