The small Gothic altar

A work of art in the shadow of its larger counterpart

The smallest altar in the Catholic parish church at Hallstatt is also the oldest. Probably made in around 1450, its creation dates back to a miners’ initiative. Equally it is a miner who is asked to remove and burn it 300 years later. In the Late Baroque period it is common to replace Gothic altars with pieces in the new style.

The anonymous miner however hides it in a nearby attic instead. Today, Hallstatt and its visitors from all over the world can be grateful he did.

The main picture on the altarpiece catches your eye immediately – a richly detailed and extremely realistic depiction of the Crucifixion, which impresses with its vivid colours and meticulously worked figures. The wings of the small, Gothic altarpiece at the parish church in Hallstatt are unfortunately no longer the originals - these were stolen in a spectacular robbery in 1987.