“We Live Here”: Austrian Town Builds Blockade to Keep Disney Fans out of ‘Frozen’ Village

An Austrian town is icing Disney out.

We all know good fences make good neighbors, but will a blockade keep out crazed tourists? The residents of the scenic town in Austria, Hallstatt, have had to ask that question for years.

With just 750 permanent residents living in the picturesque town punctuated by the Dachstein Mountains, it’s hard to picture how it could accommodate the 7,000 daily visitors who swarm the town that inspired Arendelle from the movie Frozen. Recently, the Instagrammable Frozen hub has become overwhelmed by droves of Disney fans, and Hallstatt’s mayor, Alexander Scheutz, has taken drastic measures to reclaim their peace.

Hallstatt Speaks Out Against ‘Frozen’ Fans

The crazed tourists haven’t just obstructed the view of Lake Hallstatt; their presence has also had a severe impact on the residents. In a New York Post article, local Andrea Zimmerman shared how the disruptive tourists are affecting her life:

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.

Related: Disney Releases Opening Date for Brand-New World of ‘Frozen’

Mayor Alexander Scheutz has been desperately trying to dispel the Disney fanatics, and a wooden fence seemed like the only solution. The blockade was meant to give residents privacy and discourage the Frozen fans from flocking to the site, but the move was met with backlash from locals on social media.

After the failed attempt to draw tourists away, Scheutz said:

“Hallstatt is an important piece of cultural history, not a museum. We want to reduce numbers by at least a third but we have no way of actually stopping them.”

The Future of the ‘Frozen’ Village

Although the fence was a flop with the locals, a more temporary fix could aid their message to Disney enthusiasts. In the fence’s stead, a banner now reads: “We live here. Please enjoy the view in peace.”

The ongoing battle between Hallstatt and Frozen fans spiked in 2019 after the smash-hit film, Frozen 2, debuted. The only reprieve the residents had was during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was a lockdown order.

With 2013’s Frozen and 2019’s Frozen 2 gripping the top two spots for the highest-grossing animated movies of all time, it’s unsurprising that the sleepy town of Hallstatt has been reluctantly transformed into a spectacle.

Hallstatt’s mayor and populace will likely continue to rail against their unwanted visitors, hoping they’ll finally “let it go” and let them be.