Ebensee and the salt

From the open pan method to the thermocompression process

Salt extraction in the Salzkammergut, in particular the vaporisation of brine to extract salt, has been taking place in Ebensee since 1607. Initially, the salt works was located in the centre of Ebensee and was operated using the open pan method. In 1979, the Ebensee salt works were rebuilt in the nearby Steinkogel district, where the raw brine is still processed into evaporated salt using the thermocompression process after the hardening agents have been removed using the Schweizerhalle brine purification process. The Ebensee salt works of Salinen Austria AG thus builds on centuries of history, but has had an eventful time, especially in the recent past.

Salinen Austria AG is one of the oldest companies in the world that still produces industrially today. Four million cubic metres of brine are extracted annually at the Altaussee, Hallstatt and Bad Ischl mining sites. This results in an annual salt production of 1.2 million tonnes. 40 kilometres of brine pipelines (almost the length of a marathon) connect the mining sites with the salt works in Ebensee. Today, the brine flows through thick plastic pipes. The path above it is called the Soleweg, or Strähn (or Strehn) in the vernacular. The hiking trail leads through the tranquil countryside from Hallstatt via Bad Goisern and Bad Ischl to Ebensee. The actual production and refinement of the various salt products takes place in Ebensee.