Altaussee: Urlaub am schönsten See im Salzkammergut

Cul-de-sacs don’t have the best reputation—they’re seen as symbols of stagnation, of being stuck. And yet there are exceptions: some lead to places where you’d want to stay forever. Lake Altaussee is one such cul-de-sac. Friedrich Torberg once called it “the most beautiful dead end in the world”—and anyone who’s been there immediately understands why: to the left, the Loser mountain rises like a praying sphinx; straight ahead looms the rocky Trisselwand; and to the right stands the densely forested Tressenstein.