A village that's believed to have inspired the film 'Frozen' has a wall installed to stop tourists flocking there for selfies

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A village that's believed to have inspired the film 'Frozen' has a wall installed to stop tourists flocking there for selfies
The wooden fence partially blocks the scenic view in Hallstatt.REINHARD HORMANDINGER/APA/AFP via Getty Images
  • An Austrian village has had a temporary wall installed in a bid to cut visitor numbers, per CNN.
  • Hallstatt is rumored to be the inspiration for Disney's "Frozen."
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Officials in the Austrian village of Hallstatt, which is rumored to have inspired Disney's "Frozen," have put up a wall to stop too many tourists flocking there for selfies.

The temporary wooden structure is part of a pilot project and one of several measures officials are trying out to limit the influx of visitors, per CNN.

The Alpine village has been plagued with overtourism for years, according to a separate article by CNN.

The UNESCO-protected spot has a population of around 800 people. However, visitor numbers can reach up to 10,000 visitors a day, according to the BBC.

The area is thought to be the inspiration for Arendelle, the fictional setting for Disney's hit film. At the peak of the film's popularity in 2020, mayor Alexander Scheutz told The Times of London he wanted to bring down tourist numbers by at least a third.

Overtourism has been an increasingly pressing problem for several European hotspots in recent years, with destinations like Venice and Barcelona actively encouraging people to stay away. Social media often drives interest in such areas from travelers from all over the world.

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To combat the crowds, other villages and cities have instituted measures to reduce tourists. In Florence, for example, a €500, or $555, fine has been implemented for tourists eating on the pavement and on doorsteps in front of shops, The Telegraph reported.

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam recently launched a campaign to reduce the number of tourists looking to party while taking drugs in the city, Insider's Aditi Bharade reported. The campaign was aimed at "messy" young British men.

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