The Rathausplatz and its ceramic carillon

The 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.