Ossuary
A-4830 Hallstatt - Austria
Phone: +43 (0) 6134 8208
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The Beinhaus is housed on the ground floor of St. Michael’s Chapel next to the parish church and has rows of skulls, over 600 in all, arranged above stacks of bones. The earliest remains date from the end of the 18th century but the majority are from the 19th century. The reason for their existence is that, because of pressure for space, the lease on graves was very short and bodies were exhumed to make way for new burials. The bones were then taken to the ossuary for storage. The identity and date of death was recorded on each skull along with sometimes elaborate floral and plant decorations.
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