Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Salzwelten
(
www.salzwelten.at
; Ramsaustrasse 3, Bad Dürrnberg; adult/child/family €18/9/46;
9am-5pm; )
The sale of salt filled Salzburg's coffers during its princely heyday. At
Austria's biggest show mine, you can slip into a boiler suit to descend to the bowels of the
earth. The tour aboard a rickety train passes through a maze of claustrophobic passage-
ways, over the border to Germany and down a 27m slide - don't brake, lift your legs and
ask the guide to wax for extra speed! After crossing a salt lake on a wooden raft, a 42m
slide brings you to the lowest point (210m underground) and back to good old Austria.
Guided tours depart every half-hour. Bus 41 runs from Hallein train station hourly on
weekdays, less often at weekends.
SALT MINE
SILENT NIGHT
Hallein's festive claim to fame is as the one-time home of Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863) who,
together with Joseph Mohr, composed the carol
'Stille Nacht'
(
Silent Night
). Mohr penned the
poem in 1816 and Gruber, a schoolteacher at the time, came up with the melody on his guitar.
You can see that fabled guitar in Gruber's former residence, now the
Stille Nacht Museum
(
www.stillenachthallein.at
; Gruberplatz 1; adult/child €2/0.70; 3-5pm)
next to Hallein's par-
ish church. The museum tells the story of the carol through documents and personal belongings.
Festivals & Events
First-rate musicians and artists draw crowds to the two-week
Halleiner Stadtfestwoche
in June. The festival is one of the headliners on the summer events program in Salzburger-
land, with everything from classical concerts to live jazz, theatre, comedy acts, readings
and exhibitions. For more details, see
www.forum-hallein.at
(in German).
Sleeping & Eating
Hallein can be visited on a day trip from Salzburg, but there are lots of value-for-money
places to stay if you'd rather base yourself here, a point worth considering during the
Salzburg Festival.. The tourist office helps book private rooms.
Pension Sommerauer €
GUESTHOUSE
