Glückauf is the German miner’s greeting that translates to “luck up” but has several different meanings.
On our way back to Munich from Berchtesgaden we stopped to tour a salt mine just across the Austrian border called Salzwelten Salzburg. This region has several salt mines that are available to tour. The one we were at is basically a museum and hasn’t been active in decades.
The tour starts by putting on some provided coveralls and advising guests to wear something warm. The mine’s temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit year round. The tour groups can be up to 60 people but we were there early so there were only 10 people in our group. Our guide, Nickolas, provided information in German and then in English for the non-German speaking guests.
We were asked to board a train. Er, it was kind of a train. The cars were basically single planks that you straddled. The tour group was so small that Nickolas said we could each have our own car to ourselves. Then the engine pushed us under the mountain.
The tour takes you through the history of salt mining through the ages to how we do it today. The tour is perfect for kids since there is always something to interact with like tasting water that has the same salt content as the brine extracted using modern salt mining techniques or being able to touch the different types of salt.
This tour even has a a boat ride in the mine. It’s an automated boat with some music and light shows that comes real close to a salty Pirates of the Caribbean ride feel. You even get to cross the Austrian-German border in the mine. This mine had one of the first cross-border mining agreements between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Bavaria.
All of this was cool but the best were the slides and there are two! The slides themselves are just wooden rollers complete with photography just like any modern amusement park. I’ve included the video as evidence that I beat Devin in our slide race.
