Ischl and the salt

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The blessing of the coveted mineral salt lay over the entire Salzkammergut. Hence the name, which is made up of the words Kammergut and Salz. A chamber estate is a region that is directly owned by the sovereign, in this case the archdukes of the House of Habsburg.

In contrast to Hallstatt and Bad Aussee, the salt deposits in Bad Ischl were discovered relatively late. Of course, the area around Ischl had long been recognized as being salt-prone, but there was a special economic need to open up the mining.
In July 1563 the foundation stone was laid for the start of salt mining in Ischl. The first tunnel was opened in the village of Perneck. The more favorable location for transport, as well as the untouched forest occurrences and the probable inability of the Hallstatt Salt Mine forced the Ischl Salt Mine to be founded. 8 years later, in 1571, the first brewhouse for salt processing was founded in Bad Ischl. For generations of people from Ischl, salt became the most important economic basis. In addition to the previous transport, now also in direct production in the Salzberg Perneck. In 1595 the then Emperor Rudolf II commissioned the construction of a brine pipeline from Hallstatt via Goisern to Bad Ischl. Forty kilometers long and perfectly adapted to the terrain, this was the world's first pipeline.

In the 17th and 18th centuries there was a crisis in the salt trade in the Salzkammergut.

At the beginning of the 19th century, salt began to be used for health purposes. So it happened that in 1821 a medical delegation from Vienna, headed by Dr. Wirer, after Ischl to Dr. Goetz travelled. Together they decided to found a health resort.
As the most important remedy, in addition to sulfur from a spring in the Salzberg and mud, the main focus was on the Ischl salt.
For example, one method of respiratory recovery was saline inhalation. For this purpose, galleries were built for the spa guests over steaming salt pans.