Visitors can now go on a salty voyage of discovery at the Ebensee salt works. In the new visitor centre, they can find out how salt is made from brine, learn about the many uses of salt and immerse themselves in the history of the Ebensee salt works.

In the beginning was the salt

Salt has been mined in Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut for over 7000 years - right up to the present day. The Salzkammergut is the oldest region in the world where production has continued right up to the present day.

While in the early days it was salty springs that attracted people and animals to the Salzberg valley, salt has been mined since 1500 BC. It was so successful that the heyday (800 BC to 400 BC) was even named the ‘Hallstatt period’ after the place where it was found. A chequered history followed, because in addition to wealth and prosperity, salt also brought strife and competition.

The roots of Salinen Austria as a company also go back a long way: America had not yet been discovered when its origins were sealed in 1449 with the acquisition of ownership rights by Emperor Frederick III. To this day, salt from the Alps is ‘made in Austria’ from extraction to refinement - even if modern technology is now used in the production of the high-purity evaporated salt.