The Tourist Town That Inspired 'Frozen' Just Built the World's Pettiest Fence
Residents of Hallstatt, Austrian have had enough of their Disney-loving visitors.
Do you want to take a movie-inspired selfie? Hallstatt, a small Austrian town, just said no—and it said it the pettiest way possible.
The town—which is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site—is famous for being regarded as the inspiration behind the iconic Disney movie Frozen. It is home to one specific site that has grown popular among social media users and selfie enthusiasts thanks to its very Frozen-like view, which resembles that of the movie's kingdom of Arendelle. Ever since the movie was released in 2013, visitor numbers to the Austrian town increased exponentially.
But after one too many selfies, Hallstatt locals reached the breaking point. As Euro News reports, Hallstatt decided to put up a wooden fence to block the view and prevent tourists from posing and taking selfies or photos in the popular spot. Reportedly, the town's residents couldn't bear the noise and general disruption caused by the tourists, and so they decided to do what they thought it was best to keep them at bay.
The move, though, was heavily criticized, and the fence has since been removed due to the online protests. (Based on the photo above, too, it is clear the fence wasn't too effective.) In an effort to help and support the town's residents, though, Hallstatt's Mayor Scheutz said he is looking to install a banner to remind tourists that people live in the area, in the hopes that they will be mindful of noise when visiting and taking photos. The banner would be an addition to the preexisting measures, which already limit the daily number of buses and cars that can access the town in an attempt to contain tourism numbers.
The Hallstatt fence is just the latest example of popular European destinations taking steps to address misbehaving and annoying tourists. Visitors to Portofino, Italy will now risk fines if they linger at a popular selfie spot, while Amsterdam launched a recent campaign telling "wild" tourists to "stay away."