Austria

Gods-Graves-History. The Iron Age times of the Hallstatt People are livened up at “Celtic World Frög”. In this area, many grave mounds of that period were found, in one of which a wagon of the dead, made of lead was discovered. Following a path in between the grave mounds, the spectator ends at a show grave, an original mound which is prepared as a showcase.

One of the most important cultural landscapes of Carinthia (Kärnten) is the Zollfeld. At the east side you will find the 1058 metres tall Magdalensberg. As early as 1502, a life size bronze statue was discovered here, marking the start of interest in the past of this mountain.

In 488 AD, the command came from Rome for all Romans to withdraw to Italy: the end of the West Roman Empire. From different areas groups of people started occupying territory in the Salzburger Land. They formed the people called Bavarii (Bajuwaren) with their own dukes, the Agolfinger with Regensburg as residence and their own laws which played an important role until the 14th century. The Bavarii held a part as large as Old Bavaria, a large part of Austria and South Tirol. They were dependent of the Franks since 595.

The Dietenberg, 506 metres tall is rising about 100 metres above the Kainach valley. The mountain is very well defendable and has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC. About 1000 BC, there was a large Urnfield culture village. At large terraces, in Celtic times, houses were built, one of which, dating to 100 BC as well as a road was excavated in 1976-1977.

In 1962, when the main water line of Uttendorf was being moved, a field with Hallstatt graves was discovered and researched by the University of Salzburg soon followed by traces of a settlement at Steinerbichl.

When in October 2002 a bridge was built over the Rabnitz in Mittenburgenland, archaeological artefacts were found. Less than half a year later, the Mayor of Unterrabnitz, Wilhelm Heißenberger commissioned a plan for an early medieval archaeological open air museum.

The Ötztal Association of prehistoric buildings and local history in Umhausen has built the “Ötzi village”, an archaeological open air park meant to illustrate how life might have been in the days Ötzi walked through the Alp Region.