Women working as rock salt carriers

The work of the core carrier women

However, the people of Hallstatt were not only the rich salt lords. There are the so-called core carrier women, who carried the rock salt (the core) from the salt mountain into the valley until 1890. In addition to the southern salt, the pure salt core was still extracted from the mountain and had to be carried by people over an altitude of around 500 meters. Many Hallstatt women carried out this activity to supplement the meagre wages of their husbands, who were employed in the salt mine or brewhouse. Twice a day, the women walked the path with their "Kernkraxen". Even when heavily pregnant, they had to carry their heavy loads. The result can be read in the parish registers. On one day, the name of the newborn was entered in the baptismal register, the next day it was in the death register.

A small piece of wood that can be seen in the museum also gives an impression of the life of the people of Hallstatt: the bread shavings. On this piece of wood, what each worker has to get was recorded by a cut. "A Schnittl gives four loaves of bread." The miners were only partially paid their wages in money. The saltworks servants were still in a good position, because the state granted them certain privileges: free salt, free purchase of wood, exemption from various taxes and even from military service. The founding of a family was facilitated by the allocation of fiefdom, subsidies for the construction of a house and the granting of a marriage property. Until then, around the end of the 17th century, the labour market was - as we would put it today - "saturated".

And how did you solve the problem in the past? It was made more difficult to get married. Every marriage required the consent of the salt officer. The salt office expressly warned against the indiscriminate granting of the wedding consent and justified it with the fact that the children from such marriages would only become beggars or thieves anyway. As can be seen from the Salzoberamt resolution books, there were precise guidelines for the issuance of a marriage license. Those who were "without a dwelling and without means had to resign themselves to remaining without a wife.

It was Maria Theresa who finally put an end to this harassment because, as it was said, she attributed the "manifold violations of the sixth commandment above all to the restriction of honorable marriage freedoms". This may have alleviated mental hardships, but not material ones. At that time, state welfare did not protect people from bitter hardship. Even official reports show that in times of war and hardship, the Hallstatt workers had to live mainly on salted soups and dry bread mixed with bran.

Experience history - visit Hallstatt now!

Detailed: History of Hallstatt

The mining town of Hallstatt is located on the west bank of the fjord-like Lake Hallstatt. Due to the salt deposits, Celts settled here. Finds from the burial ground document a whole epoch - the Hallstatt period (800-400 BC).

Hallstatt Salt Worlds

Hallstatt | Salt mine: On the trail of the "Man in Salt" in the oldest salt mine in the world. Going through tunnels which have been hand dug by people over 3000 years ago. A Family Experience! 

Themed trails & Audio Guide Tour

By means of display boards and interactive elements, visitors learn a lot of interesting and useful information about this unique natural and cultural landscape within the UNESCO World Heritage region. Most themed trails can be enjoyed whatever the weather.