Salzmuseum Bad Sooden-Allendorf

Useful Information

Location:	Söder Tor, Rosenstraße 1-3, 37242 Bad Sooden-Allendorf. In the town centre, not far from the tourist information office. (51.2691274, 9.9655533)
Open:	APR to OCT Wed, Sat, Sun, Hol 14-17. NOV to MAR Sat, Sun, Hol 14-17. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 1, Children (6-16) EUR 0,50, Children (0-5) free. [2026]
Classification:	Salt Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Salzmuseum Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Söder Tor, Rosenstraße 1-3, 37242 Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Tel: +49-.
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

1554	Landgrave Philip grants the Allendorf an der Werra salt works its own coat of arms, Fürstensoth.
1906	Salt works shut down.
1913	City fathers decide to preserve the existing equipment.
1974	Local history association founded with salt museum interest group.
NOV-1979	Salt museum opens in Södertor.

Geology

Like most salt deposits in Central Europe, this one is also based on the formation of a huge basin in Central Europe, into which seawater occasionally penetrated and evaporated. This happened in the Zechstein (Permian, 250 million years ago), when clay, gypsum and limestone were deposited. This salt rose up along a fault in the rock, a process called solifluction, which is based on the fact that salt behaves plastically under high pressure and temperature. This salt dome rose until it reached the groundwater level. As the movement of the salt continues, the salt emerging at the springs is balanced by salt that "flows" in to replace it.

Description

The Salzmuseum Bad Sooden-Allendorf (Bad Sooden-Allendorf Salt Museum) is not a show mine, yet it is closely related to salt mining. Salt can be extracted by using a brine spring where groundwater comes into contact with salt, dissolving it and then emerging with a high salt content in a spring. No miners are needed here, only salt boilers who boil down the brine to extract the salt. If at some point the spring dries up or is no longer sufficient, it may be necessary to drill a borehole to bring more water into contact with more salt. The museum is also known as the Salt Museum in the Södertor because it is located in the historic city gate and its adjoining building.

The exhibition focuses on the development of salt production in Bad Sooden-Allendorf over almost 1,000 years. It features models, equipment and photographs relating to the extraction and processing of brine and salt. Special exhibits include a copy of the 17th-century "Salzbibel" (Salt Bible) by Johannes Rhenanus, an important textbook and workbook on salt production, and a historical contract for the lease of boiling pans with many seals called "Ewige Location" (Eternal Location). The old salt scales used in the past to weigh salt deliveries are also exceptional.

The historic buildings in Bad Sooden, which were also used for salt production, are also listed buildings and are more or less part of the museum. They form a kind of open-air museum or themed trail. These include the Solebohrturm (brine drilling tower), the Gradierwerk (graduation tower or thorn house) and the Solebadehäuschen (brine bathing hut), the Brunnenkammer (well chamber), the Betriebsgraben (operating trench) with art house, the Pfennigstube (penny room) and finally the Salzamt (salt office) with salt table. The buildings are equipped with informative panels, allowing visitors to explore the salt works on foot. The graduation tower was the centrepiece of salt production; maintaining a fire to evaporate water was very expensive and labour-intensive. In order to enrich the brine, which had a salt content of only about 12%, it was pumped up and then dripped down a wall of brushwood bundles. The roof protected the brine from rain, the dripping significantly increased the water surface area, and sunlight and wind further increased evaporation. However, this only works to a certain extent in our humid temperate latitudes. The graduation tower was later also important for producing larger quantities of concentrated brine for bathing.

Another important theme of the museum is the history of bathing and the development of the spa town. Spa and bathing operations began in 1881 and were based on the use of brine as a remedy. Documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as historical accounts and spa contracts, explain how the bathing operations were organised. In fact, brine had been used for bathing much earlier, with the miners' guild's brine bath house dating back to 1818. The WerratalTherme spa at the graduation tower still exists today, offering modern bathing and wellness facilities with brine baths, a wave pool and a sauna. This brine is said to have a healing effect on skin and respiratory diseases, as well as on muscles and joints.