Saline Riburg


Useful Information

Location: Salinenstraße 781, 4310 Rheinfelden.
Motorway 3 exit 15 Rheinfelden Ost, towards the Rhine, then right on Highway 3 for 1.8 km, left on Salinenstraße 1.5 km.
(47.565815, 7.829629)
Open: School Holidays daily, rest of year two Sat per month.
Online booking required, available tours in booking system.
Additional tours and events for groups after reservation.
[2022]
Fee: Adults CHF 5, Children (10-16) free.
Minimum Fee CHF 50.
[2022]
Classification: MineSalt Mine
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:  
Guided tours: D=2 h, MinAge=10, Min=10, Max=60. Deutsch - German After appointment Français - French English Italiano - Italian
Photography: not allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address: Saline Riburg, Salinenstraße 781, 4310 Rheinfelden, Tel: +41-61-825-5151. E-mail:
Schweizer Salinen AG, Schweizerhalle, Rheinstrasse 52, CH-4133 Pratteln 1. 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

1844 first drilling in search of salt.
1848 mine opened by Johann Urban Kym.
1973 massive renovation of the mines, most modern salt mine of Europe.
1990 mine closed as a result of decreasing sales.
1993 mine reopened.
2027 estimated end of mining, resources will be depleted.

Geology


Description

The Saline Riburg produces up to 50 tons of salt per hour and produces all salt needed in Switzerland for the roads during winter. The salt is used to reduce the ice on the roads, because it makes it melt even in freezing temperatures. The amount needed depends very much on the weather, but since the record winter in 1999 the winters are colder than in the decade before and so the mine produced high amounts of salt. The built a new hall for storing the summer production for the use during winter which is called Saldome2, famous for the biggest dome built of wood in Europe. It stores 100,000 tons of salt. The mine also has the biggest evaporator in Europe, which is used to evaporate the water from the brine. The salt is not mined traditionally, water is pumped down into the salt layer, dissolves salt and is pumped up as brine. The tour includes also a presentation of the movie Gipfelstürmer which was filmed at the salines in Riburg and Schweizerhalle.