FROZEN OUT
RESIDENTS who live in a picturesque village that inspired a popular Disney film say it's being ruined by tourists.
Hallstatt in Austria is a fairytale alpine town that was apparently the inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in the hit movie Frozen.
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Nestled on the beautiful shores of Hallstätter Lake, and with the towering Dachstein mountains as a backdrop, the magical views are truly breathtaking.
But locals have been left disgruntled with over one million tourists descending on their picturesque village every year.
With a population of only about 750 living in its narrow streets, the village of Hallstatt is overrun with tourists taking selfies, says Alexander Scheutz, the mayor.
As many as 7,000 people visit each day during peak times, desperate to take a picture of the place that provided a real-life backdrop for the fictional Princess Elsa, reports
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Andrea Zimmermann, who lives directly above the selfie hotspot, told the ORF TV network that the noise was impacting her health and that of her husband.
She said: “I am really concerned about my husband. He had to go back and see the doctors again, he now has problems with his heart.
"And with me, the gastritis is coming back. So, psychologically, things are going really badly for us."
The problem has become so bad that the mayor arranged for two wooden fences to be placed at the exact spot where visitors like to be photographed.
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This prized selfie post has a backdrop of the lake, the mountains, the pastel-coloured houses and the charming church tower.
Scheutz told the website Upper Austrian News that the best thing would be to devise a way to eliminate the photo point altogether.
The mayor then put up wooden “privacy screens” in a desperate effort to reduce the number of tourists.
His move quickly prompted a backlash on social media and from some locals.
And the fences have since been dismantled.
Scheutz said: “It was just a tryout. We discussed it in the municipal council.
"But the plan has now been discarded, there will be no such privacy screen in Hallstatt.”
Instead the village will now use a banner which reads: “We live here. Please enjoy the view in peace.”
Halstatt owes its existence to its rich salt deposits and mighty salt chambers, discovered more than 4,000 years ago.
It comes as locals living in a village that inspired one of the UK's most famous painters say the area is being ruined by hordes of tourists.
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Meanwhile, locals at one seaside resort said the rental homes were even leaving locals homeless - and their streets like a ghost town.
Another town said second homeowners were ruining their town, and they were forced to take desperate measures.
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