What are the opening hours for the permanent exhibition?

Regularly Tue Wed Thu 1 PM to 4 PM and Sat 10 AM to 12 PM. Partially limited in winter months. Check the city website in advance.

Is there an entry fee for the exhibition?

Entry is free according to the city's visitor information. Donations to local cultural associations are possible.

Are there guided tours or educational offers?

Info films and educational panels are available in the Salinenpark and the museum. For groups and city tours, the Tourist Information Traunstein can assist.

Is the access barrier-free?

Access is possible barrier-free according to city information. For specific requirements, a short telephone inquiry is recommended.

Is photography allowed in the exhibition?

Photography without flash is generally allowed; tripods and drones are excluded. Special exhibits have notice boards on site.

How do I get there best and where can I park?

From Traunstein train station, walk towards the town square, then further to the salt area. Parking is possible at Karl Theodor parking lot and surrounding parking areas.

Salt, Technology, Wonder: Experience Traunstein's Brine Pipeline in the Historic Ferdinand Stock

Name: Salinenmuseum Traunstein – Permanent Exhibition 400 Years of Brine Pipeline
Start: 2025-12-23 13:00:00
End: 2025-12-23 13:00:00
Location: Erdgeschoss des Ferdinandstocks, Kohlbrennerstraße 2, 83278 Traunstein

The 1st Pipeline in the World – Experience Traunstein's Salt History

On the ground floor of the historic Ferdinand stock, the permanent exhibition on the brine pipeline between Bad Reichenhall and Traunstein unfolds an impressive art experience of technical cultural history. Original exhibits, film reconstructions, and the atmosphere of the old vaults make the aesthetic experience of the salt works immediately tangible.

Masterpiece of Engineering: Brine Pipes, Pumps, Contours

The curation focuses on the brine pipeline from 1617 to 1619, regarded as the first pipeline in the world. Seven water-powered pumping stations pushed the brine through a height difference of up to 346 meters towards Traunstein using over 8000 hand-drilled wooden pipes, known as brine pipes. Precise models and illustrative graphics clarify materiality, functions, and topography.

Exhibit Reflection in the Vault: Exhibits with Spatial Impact

Between brick, wood, and iron, the objects create a special spatial effect. Tools of salt makers, reconstructive components of the Reiffenstuel technique, and an animated documentary condense into a sensual reflection on the work. Lighting designs emphasize shapes, surfaces, and the energy of water as a driving force.

Art Historical Classification: Technology as a Cultural Achievement

The exhibition situates the brine pipeline as an epochal interface between early modernity, emerging engineering, and urban identity formation. It shows how white gold shaped the city and why the pipeline entered the history of industrial culture as an early infrastructure icon.

Education and Communication: Learning in the Open Air and in the Museum

Additionally, the publicly accessible salt park introduces the history of technology; in the museum, information boards, films, and illustrative stations deepen the content. The exhibition atmosphere supports independent discovery and cultural educational formats for groups.

Conclusion

Visitors can expect a concentrated view of a unique technical invention that made history. Those who want to understand historical technology, design principles, and sustainable resource usage will experience an inspiring, evidence-based, and detailed exhibition here – definitely worth a live visit.