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The fact that when you think of Bad Ischl you think of the emperor, the Zauner pastry shop and spa stays is probably one of the most obvious associations. The Bad Ischler Salz brand may also be familiar to many people. With salt, the “white gold”, a historical journey through time that many people initially associate with the 19th century has taken on a different dimension.
"The Bad Ischl region can look back on around 260 million years of earth's history, with the sequence of rocks beginning in the end of the Prehistoric period with the rock salt deposits of the Haselgebirge and being dominated by marine deposits from the Mesozoic Era," says Harald Lobitzer, outlining the geological time frame in the handy little book "Bad Ischl - In the heart of the Salzkammergut". Lobitzer should know, he has been working in the Salzkammergut since 1971. Between Bad Ischl, Bad Goisern and Hallstatt there is hardly anyone who does not know the busy geologist, who spent his active career at the Federal Geological Institute. Harry, as he is known to everyone, wrote five booklets in a handy pocket size (21 x 13 cm) in the "Geological Walks" series with co-authors; two are about Bad Ischl.
In the booklet "Bad Ischl - In the heart of the Salzkammergut" the landscape frame is explained first, then the rocks including salt deposits. Technical terms that can hardly be avoided are explained expertly: "The term 'Haselgebirge' is probably a mining corruption for 'Hallgebirge' (= Salt Mountains)."
Als gemütlicher Einstieg, als Anleitung zum Spazieren im wahrsten Sinn des Wortes wie auch zum Flanieren lädt das Stadtgebiet von Bad Ischl ein. Hier (Seite 56ff) lädt Lobitzer zu kulturgeologischen Erkundungen der kaiserlichen Sommerfrische, wo wir auf den Ischler Marmor treffen. Freilich kein "echter" Marmor wie jener aus dem italienischen Carrara. Doch der als Dekorstein verwendete Rettenbachkalk, der im 20. Jahrhundert als "Ischler Marmor" gehandelt wurde, ist als polierter Kalkstein schön anzusehen. Er war auch auf der Wiener Weltausstellung im Jahr 1873 zu sehen und erwies damit dem imperialen Ischl alle Ehre.
Whether north, south, east or west, the next four sections are dedicated to longer hikes or excursions around the imperial city. A few of the destinations are highlighted: the Jainzen - Sisi's local mountain; Moor hikes in the area around Bad Ischl (described by Ilse Draxler) or: on the Jubilee Trail to the Hoisenrad and to the Kolowratshöhe. The Ischl Calvary and the geology on the golf course also come from Lobitzer.
The second Ischl booklet "Via Salis Bad Ischl" focuses entirely on salt, the story of which begins in 1563. At that time, the Mitterberg tunnel was driven into the mountain not far from the Perneck district of Ischl. That was the birth of Ischl salt mining, whose underground brine extraction in the Ischl salt mountain came to an end in February 2011 after more than 400 years. Today, information boards along the “Via Salis” theme trail, which was built in 2013, explain the history of salt and salt transport. But the Wirerquelle, the Reiterndorf miners' settlement, the quarries on the Hubkogel, the Perneck gypsum mining and the Strub Gorge are also integrated here.
Starting from the town center of Bad Ischl, a 4.7 kilometer long path with 23 stations to the former miners' settlement of Perneck is a good way to start the "Via Salis". Alternatively, there is the rear wheel circuit (twelve stations) with ten restored mouth holes (= tunnel entrances) from the former Ischl salt mine. The Reinfalz round, in turn, combines 16 tunnels in the so-called Pernecker and Steinberglager of the Ischler Salzberg. This (too) short presentation of the routes is followed by detailed articles - starting with page 14 - a very informative presentation of the 200-year history of the spa in Bad Ischl under the title "... there must have been magical powers here...".
Three chapters deal with the “white gold”, salt. "The Ischler Salzberg" is a historical representation of Ischl's salt production, which was once carried out in numerous tunnels. The salt mine geologist Michael Mayr first describes the salt deposits around Bad Ischl (from page 40) and then their geological formation in great detail. This is how he characterizes the Haselgebirge, a mixed rock consisting of gypsum, anhydrite, polyhalite and rock salt, in detail: "The minerals Glauberite, Kieserite, Blödite, Löweit, Langbeinite, Vanthoffite and Epsomite also occur in small quantities in the Haselgebirge as chemical precipitates." Mineralogists have fun with this.
Conclusion: Naturally, both books, which strive for a broad readership, also have some overlap in content. If you want information about Bad Ischl and the salt, you are well advised to go with both. (Thomas Hofmann, April 1, 2024)