HALLSTATT
HALLSTATT
The Oldest Salt Mine in the World
Traces of the oldest salt mine lead back to the 10th and 9th
centuries BC.
As early as the 8th century BC,
salt mining was again carried out at the location known today as
the Eastern Group.
This second prehistoric salt mine was in operation until the 4th
century BC,
and was closed down after a catastrophic landslide which
devastated the Salzberg Valley.
For decades,
the Museum of Natural History in Vienna has carried out
archaeological digs in the Hallstatt salt mine.
Sensational relics from the 1st millennium BC were discovered in
the Christian Tusch Mine.
Among other finds, a wooden cooking spoon and shards from clay
pots
showed that cooking took place in the mine.
Chemical analysis brought a surprising fact to light:
that the miners cooked
"Ritschert" - Millet and beans -
a traditional meal known in parts of the Eastern Alps to this day.
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