The Hallein Salt Mine , also known as Salzbergwerk Dürrnberg , is an underground salt mine located in the Dürrnberg plateau above Hallein , Austria. The mine has been worked for over 2600 years since the time of the Celtic tribes and earlier. It helped ensure nearby Salzburg would become a powerful trading community. Since World War I, it has served as a mining museum, known for its long wooden slides between levels.
5-779: There are several named tunnels in the mine, including the Obersteinberg opened in 1450, the Untersteinberg, the Jackobberg, the Rupertsberg, the Wolf Deitrich tunnel and the Dr. Nusko tunnels. They descend all of the way to Hallein. Early mining was done by hand and extracted salt rock crystals as a solid. To improve efficiency, fresh water would be pumped into a cavern. After several weeks of absorbing salt from
10-435: Is a 90-minute guided Salzwelten -tour which covers 1 kilometer. Visitors put on white coveralls to protect their clothes inside the mine. There is a 400 metres (1,300 ft) electric train ride into the mine which leads to two sets of 42 metres (138 ft) wooden slides. Visitors straddle two wooden rails and slide quickly down to the lower level of the mine. There is a boat trip across an underground lake before exiting
15-796: Is the oldest European treaty still in effect. It was signed by the Kingdom of Bavaria (now the Free State of Bavaria ) and the Austrian Empire (now the Republic of Austria ). It gave the Austrians the right to mine in Bavaria in exchange for wood. An agreement to this effect had already existed for 600 years, and was formally regulated by a treaty from 1829. The treaty was revised on 25 March 1957. This Austrian history article
20-600: The mine. In 1969, there were 150,000 visitors to the mine. At that time, the tour covered 2.5 miles (4.0 km) and went down seven wooden slides. 47°40′01″N 13°05′25″E / 47.667049°N 13.090339°E / 47.667049; 13.090339 ( Hallein Salt Mine ) Bavarian%E2%80%93Austrian Salt Treaty The Bavarian–Austrian Salt Treaty of 1829 ( German : Konvention zwischen Bayern und Österreich über die beiderseitigen Salinenverhältnisse vom 18. März 1829 , short Salinenkonvention )
25-567: The walls, the water was pumped out to a processing plant in Hallein. In 1829, the Bavarian–Austrian Salt Treaty was created, as the mine actually crosses under the border into Bavaria. The treaty stipulates that up to ninety Bavarian farmers are allowed to work in the mine. There has been scientific research which used ancient human feces found in the older tunnels to determine how resources were shared between cultures. There
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