Salinenmuseum Unteres Bohrhaus Rottweil

Useful Information

Location:	(48.1481785, 8.6484287)
Open:	MAY to SEP Sun, Hol 14:30-17. Guided tours 14:45, 16. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 2, Children frei. [2026]
Classification:	Salt Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Salinenmuseum Unteres Bohrhaus Rottweil, Tel: +49-.
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History

Geology

Like most other salt deposits in Germany, this one also contains Zechstein salt, which was originally found at the bottom of the basin. Due to salt tectonics, the salt rose up through zones of weakness and thus came close to the surface. At Rotteil, the salt reaches a depth of just over 100 metres, meaning it could be extracted using water wheels and pumps as early as the 10th century.

Description

Salinenmuseum Unteres Bohrhaus Rottweil (Lower Borehole Salt Museum Rottweil) is the only museum in the Upper Neckar region dedicated to salt extraction.n This region, situated between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb, is geologically quite different from these two larger and better-known regions. Here we are in the area of the European basins, and salt deposits are certainly worth mining. It is only because this region is very narrow, and therefore covers a small area, that it remains largely unknown even to most Swabians. In this respect, this industrial museum fills an important gap.

Salt was extracted here from brine; groundwater dissolves salt underground and emerges as brine springs. However, the natural brine soon proved insufficient, and boreholes were sunk. In Rottweil, it was a deep borehole on 14-APR-1824 that first reached the salt, thus marking the start of the establishment of the famous saltworks of Rottweil. The salt was found at a depth of just 114 metres and was extracted by pumps driven by a water wheel. From the drilling houses, the brine flowed through wooden sluice pipes into the boiling houses. The brine was brought to the boil by heating and thus evaporated; large boiling pans were used for this purpose. Over the course of its nearly 150-year existence, the Saline Wilhelmshall (Wilhelmshall salt works) produced around 800,000 tonnes of salt. At the same time, however, a spa culture also developed in Rotteil.

The museum is located in the Unteren Bohrhaus (Lower Drilling House), which was built in 1826 and moved to its present location in 1833. These boreholes were simply numbered consecutively. The brine came from the neighbouring drilling houses above boreholes 7 (1839) and 8 (1849). Both boreholes were in operation until the salt works closed, and brine could still be pumped up today.

In 1975, the Solebadverein (Brine Bath Association) was founded, which collected equipment and tools, documents and photographic material, and finally opened the museum in 1979. The machinery in the Lower Drilling House was also restored. Later, however, the Brine Bath Association disbanded and the museum was run by the town of Rottweil for some time. The Förderverein Salinenmuseum Rottweil e. V. was then founded, and it now runs the museum on a voluntary basis. The museum can be visited at your own pace; the historic building is equipped with information panels and numerous exhibits. In addition, two free guided tours are offered on opening days, and free audio guides are also available.