The Celtic Prince's Tomb — Unearth the Hallstatt Mystery

Your quest begins in front of the Keltenmuseum Hallein, a mid-18th century building that once housed the salt office. It was here that Gerhard Trnka opened one of Europe's largest Celtic museums, featuring artifacts from the La Tène period. Inside, discover a 2500-year-old Celtic spouted jug from Dürrnberg and objects from an intact Celtic prince's tomb, along with 80 paintings by Benedict Werkstötter illustrating salt production, commissioned in 1757 by Prince-Archbishop Sigismund von Schrattenbach. This museum is the gateway to the Hallstatt culture, essential for understanding Hallein's history.

Continue your visit to Hallein towards Oberer Markt, the historic square that gave the city its name, linked to salt production ('hal' mentioned as early as 1198). This central point of the old quarter is crossed by your walking tour, offering an immersion into the city's commercial past. Nearby, the Stadtpfarrkirche Hallein, the central parish church, testifies to the influence of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg who controlled salt exploitation, a pillar of the local economy and Salzburg's heritage.

Your path then leads you to Pernerinsel, an island on the Salzach, 500m from the Keltenmuseum. Once an industrial area dedicated to salt production, it is now a historical and cultural site integrated into Hallein's heritage. The island represents the city's transformation, from its industrial salt past to its current role as a cultural center. Here you can measure the evolution of the urban landscape, marked by salt mining which shaped the Salzburg region for centuries.

Approaching the Pfleggericht, the former 18th-century district court, you traverse a part of the administration of the Prince-Archbishops who ruled over salt exploitation from that century. This historic building, located near Pflegerplatz 5, is a remnant of the authority that managed Hallein's resources. Then, the Salzachbrücke, the bridge over the Salzach, connects you to the historic center, an access route to Dürrnberg and its prehistoric salt mines exploited since the Iron Age, illustrating salt's vital role in the region's history.

Your quest concludes at Dürrnberg, the mountain above Hallein, home to prehistoric salt mines exploited since the Iron Age and the site of the Keltenmuseum's excavations. It was here that Kurt W. Zeller oversaw the reconstruction of the Celtic village Salina in 1980, later moved in 1996. Dürrnberg houses unique European remains of Celtic settlements and burial sites, from the Prince-Archbishops to the Ice Age, confirming its status as a treasure of Celtic history Europe and the Hallstatt culture. Your exploration of Hallein will have revealed the importance of this 'Celtic prince' and the lasting impact of Salt mining heritage on this Salzburg region.