Capital of Culture 2024

New salt app: white gold in Ötzi’s time

With the app, you can immerse yourself in the history of the Salzkammergut from anywhere(Bild: Scenomedia)

The Salzkammergut has its first virtual museum. Anyone can "enter" it on their own computer or cell phone via the "salzzeit.at" app. You can experience 7000 years of salt history, which is not only about trade and culture, but also about power. The K-Hof Museum in Gmunden has contributed a great deal to the app.

Even in the Neolithic Age - the lifetime of the famous glacier mummy Ötzi - salt was a precious commodity. The app, which can be used on a computer or smartphone, takes users back to these origins.

It allows you to experience the development of salt mining in the Salzkammergut region, which began 7000 years ago and continues to this day. Cultural history, ecology, transport, the timber industry and the special features of the region are visualized.

The app was "fed" with exhibits from 36 museums in the region, with examples from the Natural History Museum Vienna with its branch in Hallstatt, but also from the Salinen Austria and others. You can currently access 120 images and photos, 107 objects in 3D, 42 films, panoramas and display boards. 250 texts and further links complete the innovative information tool about the Salzkammergut.

Archduke and Emperor
The K-Hof Museum in Gmunden, an old metropolis of the salt trade, made a particularly large contribution: "Filming, photographing, scanning and digitizing the exhibits dragged on for many months," says museum director Johannes Weidinger. "We particularly like the fact that the app makes our ships float again and that you can view and rotate the ship's passengers in 3D." The theme of "Power" was played out with imperial paintings from Gmunden.

Fancy a visit to see the originals
The exciting web app "salzzeit.at", which was created in cooperation with the Capital of Culture, is constantly being expanded. The virtual journey, which can be embarked on from anywhere, should of course also make you want to visit the museums yourself.