The Berchtesgaden Salt Mine opened its newly designed salt shop in the visitor area of the mine today, Thursday.A new shopping experience is to be created immediately in the 150 m² space.Peter Botzleiner-Reber, Head of Tourism at the Salt Mine, explains:“We promise our visitors a unique experience.This applies to both the traditional underground world and the subsequent visit to our newly designed salt shop with the Bad Reichenhall brand world assortment.” The shelves are filled with 40 different table salt products, salty gifts such as vials filled with rock salt, salt lamps or Montesol salt cosmetics.All this presented in a pleasant atmosphere and contemporary look.With small delicacies, prepared by the star chefs Hermann Anfang and Bertl Schwab, first the invited guests and a short time later the public could convince themselves of the result of the redesign at the official shop opening.Months of planning preceded the subsequent conversion, explain Maria Schwaiger and Monika Pfnuer, project managers at the salt mine.They refer to the special shop architecture and the resulting new shopping character.“The warm wood materials and angular shapes are intended to pick up on the underground impressions just experienced and become a presentation stage for the products," adds Stefan Sacré, the architect responsible for the interior design at Meisterwerkstätten Philipp Haas & Söhne in Bad Reichenhall.The main concern of the mine managers was to transform the sales room into an experience space, where visitors are presented with the results of active salt mining both haptically and visually.Botzleiner-Reber refers to the constantly changing demands in purchasing behaviour and has the corresponding solution ready for the hybrid decisions of the visitors:“Visitors to the salt mine like to take advantage of the offer in our shop and buy on the spot.Later, exactly these people can conveniently order again via our online shop.” The shop opening also provided the setting for the drawing of the winners of last year's anniversary prize draw, which was advertised on more than 23 million AlpenSalz packs in food retail outlets.The three winning families can look forward to seven luxurious days at the Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden and a stay at the mine and the Rupertustherme.

Opening hours
1 April to 31 October: daily 9 AM to 5 PM (last tour)
2 November to 31 March: daily 11 AM to 3 PM (last tour)
Closed
1 January, Good Friday, Whit Monday, 1 November, 24-25 December, 31 December

Background
Active salt mining since 1517 and thus the oldest active salt mine in Germany

Foundation
1517 by Gregor Rainer, Imperial Prelate and Provost of the Berchtesgaden Monastery

Operating time
Since foundation without interruption

Brine production per year
approx. 1.000.000 m³

Process
Wet mining

Mountain salinity
An average of 50 %

Employees
Approx. 100 on Berchtesgaden site

Technical data
Extension of a wet drilling plant: up to 160 m length, 120 m width, 125 m height
Active wet drilling plants:30
Daily mining progress: approx. 1 cm upwards
Usable mining height:100 m
Operating life of a wet drilling plant: approx. 30 years
Brine production per wet drilling plant during the entire operating period: approx. 1.300.000 m³
Size of the deposits:
South-West to North-East:4.5 km (2.5 km in mining)
North-west to south-east:1.5 km (1.5 km in mining)
Proven deposit depth:500 m below the valley floor
Presumed bearing depth:1,000 m below the valley floor

Owner
Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG, Heilbronn
Spokesman of the Board, Ulrich Fluck
Board of Directors, Wolfgang Rüther

Visitor area
Duration of the guided tour through the visitor mine
1.5 to 2 hours including ticket purchase and changing clothes
Visitors in 2016
Approx. 380.000
Size
Salt shop:50 m²
Visitor centre:600 m²
Tunnels in the entire salt mine: approx. 30 km
Route length of the mine railway for visitors:1.400 m
Length of the first slide:34 m
Length of the second slide:40 m
Opening hours
1 April to 31 October: daily 9 AM to 5 PM (last tour)
1 November to 31 March: daily 11 AM to 3 PM (last tour)
Closed
1 January, Good Friday, Whit Monday, 1 November, 24-25 December, 31 December
Site Manager
Raimund Bartl
Head of Department Tourism
Peter Botzleiner-Reber