Photo spot in Gmunden & the Traunsee
The Rathausplatz and its ceramic carillon
A painted square opening straight onto the lake, with arcades on three sides and a town hall whose carillon is cast in the green-striped ceramic Gmunden has made for two centuries.
About The Rathausplatz and its ceramic carillon
Get directionsThe Rathausplatz is the town's front room. Pastel façades and arcades close three sides, the fourth is open to the Traunsee, and the town hall's tower carries a carillon whose bells are made of Gmundner ceramic — the local craft, still produced a few streets away in the white-and-green striped pattern you will see in every shop window here.
The square works as a backdrop because it is enclosed: pillars, painted plaster and shop signs give a subject something to stand against, and the open lake side means it never feels dark. The best position is with your back to the water, so the arcades and the tower fill the frame and the light comes off the lake behind you.
Mornings put the sun across the square from the east; from the middle of the afternoon the façades fall into shade and the light softens, which is when the pastels read best. The carillon plays at set times through the day — a short wait, and a reason to stand still in the middle of the square.
Market days and summer weekends fill the place with stalls and tables. In late November and December the Christmas market takes the whole square and the lakefront beside it, and the town hall front is lit from dusk.
Best time to shoot
Mid-afternoon onwards, when the façades go into shade and the pastels hold; early morning for an empty square
Tips
Stand with your back to the lake so the arcades and the tower fill the frame. The square is busy on market days and through the December Christmas market, so check the town calendar if you need it empty.
Other spots in Gmunden & the Traunsee
Schloss Ort and its wooden bridge
A white castle on a small island in the Traunsee, reached by a long wooden footbridge — shot head-on with the onion-domed tower at the end, it is the picture the whole lake is known for.
The Esplanade and the Toscanapark
Gmunden's lakeside walk runs south from the town square to a wooded park on the shore, with the Traunstein filling the view behind you the whole way.
The Johannesberg chapel above Traunkirchen
A tiny chapel on a rock spur over the Traunsee, five kilometres south of Gmunden — the silhouette that closes the lake, with the monastery village below it.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know The Rathausplatz and its ceramic carillon — free of charge.