Salzwelten Hallstatt

Useful Information

Location:	Salzbergstraße 21, 4830 Hallstatt. A1 (E55) exit 234 Gmunden, follow B145 through Gmunden, Bad Ischgl, and Bad Goisern. Behind Bad Goisern turn right onto 166 to Gosaumühle, turn left along Hallstatt lake to Hallstatt. Turn right 100 m after the second tunnel, immediatley right to the Salzbergbahn (Salzberg cable car). (47.5560719, 13.6452871)
Open:	31-MAR to AUG 9:30-16:30. Prähistorische Expedition: JUL to AUG Tue, Thu 11. [2025]
Fee:	Mine with Salzbergbahn: Adults EUR 43, Children (4-15) EUR 21. Groups (20+): Adults EUR 41, Children (4-15) EUR 21. Prähistorische Expedition: Adults EUR 90, Children (10-15) EUR 45. [2025]
Classification:	Salt Mine Oldest Mines
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	A=928 m asl, T=6 °C, L=24,000 m.
Guided tours:	Zeitreise Salzwelten Hallstatt: D=3 h (70 min underground), MinAge=4. Prähistorische Expedition: D=3.5 h, MinAge=10.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Gerhard Mayrhofer (1998): Die touristische Nutzung der österreichischen Salzbergwerke. Die Standorte Hallstatt, Hallein, Altaussee und Bad Ischl im Vergleich, Diplomarb. Univ. Salzburg 1998. 120 Bl. (maschinschr.)
Address:	Salinen Tourismus GmbH, Salzbergstraße 21, A-4830 Hallstatt, Tel: +43-6132-200-2400. E-mail:
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

5000 BC	Age of the deer antler pick from the Kaiser-Josef-Stollen.
1500 BC	oldest evidence of underground mining.
~350 BC	Mann im Salz buried in an accident.
1719	Christina-Stollen started.
1734	Mann im Salz (man in salt) found.
1838	A pick made from deer antlers is found in the Kaiser-Josef-Stollen.
1960er	mining archaeological investigations by scientists from the Natural History Museum in Vienna in cooperation with Salinen Austria AG.
2005	Renamed to Salzwelten Hallstatt.
SEP-2025	closed for renovation.

Geology

The salt deposits at Hallstatt were formed by evaporation about 250 Ma ago. Later, during the Alpine orogeny the sedimentary rocks were folded and so the salt is now located inside the Haselgebirge (Hasel mountains). The rock contains about 20% to 70% salt, the rest is clay, limestone and anhydrite. But some parts of the salt deposit have a content of up to 98 % salt. They could be mined and used directly, but the rest of the salt needs to be processed, especially purified, to be useful.

Description

The Salzbergwerk Hallstatt (salt mine Hallstatt), recently renamed Salzwelten Hallstatt (Hallstatt Salt Worlds) by marketing, is entered through the Christina-Stollen (Christina tunnel), which was named after the mother of Austrian Empress Kaiserin Maria Theresia, who’s full name was Elisabeth Christina von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. The mine has 12 levels, which are called Horizont (horizon) in the local miners' language. The tour shows horizon 6 and 7. A wooden chute, which was used by the miners to descend to lower levels very fast, is part of the tour. In a chamber called Edlersberg various specimen of salt are on display, showing the variety and beauty of the salt. Another stop shows various artworks, one is called Zeitspirale (time spiral) and explains the 7,000 years long mining history.

The Hörnerwerk is a huge chamber, where a salt lake with an area of 1,200 m² exists. This is the modern technology to mine the salt. Fresh spring water from outside is channeled into the mine. The water dissolves the salt, the dirt stays at the bottom of the salt lake. The dirt prevents the salt on the bottom of the lake from being dissolved, as a result the chambers have to be filled completely, and the solution of the salt takes place at the ceiling. When the water has 26 % salt content, which is fully saturated at the temperature of 8 °C inside the mine, it is pumped out of the mine to a processing plant called Saline (salt refinery). Until 1964 this was in Hallstatt, then a pipeline was built and today the water is pumped to Ebensee. There the brine is filtered and purified, then the water is vaporised to produce pure table salt.

Probably the most important sight of this mine is the Mann im Salz (man in salt) who was discovered in 1734. The body of a Celtic salt miner, about 2,500 years old, was preserved by the salt and a scientific sensation. Unfortunately it cannot be seen, as it does not exist any more. The body was preserved by the salt, but when it was brought to the church of Hallstatt, it starte to rot and smell. The people did not know what to do with the body, and so they buried it. Unfortunately they were very catholic, and so they thought it was impossible to bury him in the sacred cemetery, because he was a heathen. So they buried the body outside the cemetery, but it is not known where, and the extraordinary discovery is lost to science. However, there is a rather impressive novel by Ludwig Ganghofer, Der Mann im Salz (The Man in the Salt), which describes this story.

The mine visit takes much longer than the time underground with this tour. The tours start at the lower station of the Salzbergbahn, a funicular starting at the southern end of Hallstatt. So mine visits include the ride on the funicular, the 20 minutes walk uphill to the mine entrance, the preparation for the tour with helmet and miners clothes, and the whole way back. You should allow three hours for the visit. The underground tour includes a 400 m long ride on a mine train out of the mine, and inside the ride on the wooden chute. It is also possible to buy just a ticket to the funicular and walk the saline trail which follows the pipeline with the salt water along the mountain side. If you are good on foot you can also walk down to the village Hallstatt instead of using the funicular. The trail is well maintained and has numerous great views.

For a few years there is now also a historical tour. It shows the part of the mine, where archaeologists found a 3,500 years old wooden staircase, leather, wood and bronze tools, and millions of kindlings, used by the Celtic miners for their lamps. The tour is very interesting, but also strenuous, as it takes four hours and involves climbing up and down two long flights of stairs. Sturdy boots are essential, and some parts are very narrow. It is possible to mine some salt with Bronze Age tools and take it home. The tour is offered once a week and after appointment for groups.

The background to this tour is the fact that Hallstadt is one of the oldest mines in the world. Salt is said to have been mined here as early as 7,000 years ago, in the Middle Neolithic period. At least that’s how the marketing experts at the show mine see it. The claim of 7,000 years of mining is based on a single find: in 1838, a pickaxe made of deer antler was found in the Kaiser Josef gallery. It has since been dated to 7,000 years old using the C14 method. There is no actual evidence of mining until 1500 BC, and wood remains can be found in the salt from this period. The oldest preserved wooden staircase on the European continent, which was found preserved in the salt, is also about this age. Mining up here was time-consuming, you had to climb up and bring tools and food, mine the salt and carry it down on your back. The salt was extracted in heart-shaped slabs with a hole so that it could be tied to the back with a rope. There was a settlement on the slope below the mine, which has since been excavated. Obviously this was a very early mining settlement, there was no farming and food was brought up from below. The tour of the mine should definitely be complemented by a visit to the excellent museum in Hallstatt. The artefacts found by the archaeologists are on display here, including hats, rucksacks for salt and bronze tools.

The show mine will be renovated from mid-2025 to mid-2026 and can only be visited to a limited extent. The footpath is closed and barrier-free access is not possible. The show mine will be closed on individual days and will be completely closed from September 2025. There are webcams on the website that show the construction progress. A date for the reopening has not yet been set.