Bergbaumuseum Hall


Useful Information

Location: Meet at the TVB Hall-Wattens, Wallpachgasse 5, Hall in Tirol.
Open: MAY to OCT Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat 11:30, Wed 17 combi with city tour.
SEP to APR after appointment.
[2011]
Fee: Adults EUR 3.50, Children (6-15) EUR 2, Children (0-2) free.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 3.50, Children (6-15) EUR 2.
[2011]
Classification: MineSalt Mine
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours: D=2 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Bergbaumuseum Hall, Fürstengasse 1, 6060 Hall.
TVB Region Hall-Wattens, Wallpachgasse 5, 6060 Hall in Tirol, Tel: +43-5223-45544-23, Fax: +43-5223-45544-20. E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

~1270 first underground mining in the area.
1303 Hall founded for salt mining.
1926-1929 first Bergbaumuseum created.
1967 salt mine closed.
1967 museum opened in the former mine building called Schmalzwaage.
1999 Herrenhäuser destroyed by an avalanche.

Geology


Description

The salt mine of Hall was closed in 1967, after more than 800 years of salt mining. The oldest documents describing salt mining from the Halltal (Hall valley) are from the 13th century. The city of Hall is named for the salt, the term hall means salt in the old Celtic language, and the term was still in use in the German language Mittelhochdeutsch during the Middle Ages.

The salt mining in the Hall valley started in the Middle Ages. First brine from wells was cooked, then around 1270 the underground mining started. But again the salt was mined by using dissolution. Fresh water was brought into the mine were it dissolved the salt in the rock, then the brine was conducted to the saline at Hall in wooden pipelines and channels. At the saline the brine was cooked until the water was gone, and only pure white salt remained.

The city Hall was founded for salt mining in 1303, it is an early mining town. It became rich from the salt during the Middle Ages. In the 1920s, the town tried to become a spa, using the brine for medical treatments. The salt minnig was already declining, and the town tried to create a second income. In this process, the mining museum was founded in 1926 and opened to the public in 1929. It was intended to be entertainment for the spa visitors and to explain the local mining history to them. However, the spa never worked very well, partly because of World War II, and the spa was closed together with the mine in the mid 1960s. The city, which had been renamed to Solbad Hall in 1934 returned to its former name in 1974.

The Bergbaumuseum Hall (mining museum) is located in the historic center of the town, in the building called Schmalzwaage (fat scales). This building was used by the Salinenverwaltung (mining administration) to store food, which was part of the wages for the miners. The museum has an artificial mine with tunnels, shafts, and even the typical slide of the local salt mines. The wooden slides were used to change levels inside the mine very fast. The place where the salt was dissolved by water is called Sumpf (swamp) and is also shown. The museum also has an exhibition of mining tools, a mineral exhibition and a fossil exhibition.