Contemporary spatial culture and sensual lightness
Salzwelten Salzburg is a publically accessible show mine that has been open since 1568 and is thus one of the oldest attractions of its type worldwide. During the course of the past few months, the popular cultural location, which welcomes more than 200,000 visitors a year, has been comprehensively redesigned and reorganised. The small-scale additions to the ensemble of buildings that had been carried out over decades had resulted in confusing logistics and poor visitor circulation. As a result of a dialogue process, the renowned Vienna architectural office the next ENTERprise Architects was selected to develop a new overall concept. This reinterpretation of Salzwelten Salzburg was implemented in cooperation with Sabine Dreher / Liquid Frontiers and Matthias Hosp / ARTFABRIK.
A new overall ensemble
Remodelling work “Ober Tage” (above ground) focussed on natural orientation, the implementation of state-of-the-art services and the optimisation of flows, all with the objective of increasing visitor traffic and reinforcing the atmospheric qualities. Connecting elements, including a new, uniform canopy with signage and generous openings and extensions, sensitively combined the existing buildings into a coherent whole. The characteristic heterogeneity of Salzwelten Salzburg, which has developed over many years, was enhanced by contemporary elements and woven together into a convincing and impressive overall ensemble.
The creation of so-called “island formations” – including the terminal next to the car park, the new visitor centre, the bistro, the shop on the bridge, the extension containing the preview room and the open-air plaza – and the remodelling of the Celtic Village into the “Celtic Mountain”, have improved the quality and the organisational structure of the experience enjoyed by visitors to the Salzwelten.
“The remodelling enhanced the location by adding a contemporary spatial culture that is not only highly functional, but also exudes a sensual airiness,” says Ernst J. Fuchs, a principal architect with the office the next ENTERprise Architects.
Crystalline and orange-coloured highlights
In formal terms, the remodelling draws on the engineering architecture of the mining industry. For example, the funnel-shaped entrance to the visitor centre is inspired by the method used for building shafts, while the limed timber beams lend the existing building a sense of elegant solidity and lightness. The choice of materials and colours is based on the crystalline and orange-coloured character of the blocks of salt as well as the galleries and industrial buildings of the mine, with their steel structures and wooden planks.
The architect Ernst J. Fuchs adds: “Our objective was to enable visitors to associatively experience the ‘saline surroundings’ throughout their tour. For example, the colours of the blocks of salt and the way in which the salt almost sparkles as it is mined are formally reflected in the glistening, silvery-white steel structure with its panes of orange glass.”
Between a cabinet of curiosities, a mine train and an underground salt lake
The show mine “Unter Tage” (below ground) was conceived by a team led by Sabine Dreher from the office Liquid Frontiers and newly presented in cooperation with the media producers ARTFABRIK. Taking into account the educational mission of the neighbouring Hallstatt UNESCO World Heritage Site, a concept was developed that tells the story of what is probably the world’s oldest show mine with integrity and authenticity without losing sight of the need to entertain. Four periods of salt mining (the Present Day, Baroque, Middle Ages, Iron Age) are explained in the form of multimedia exhibition chambers. This journey through time involves a ride on a mine train, two miners’ slides and a raft trip across the underground salt lake. The reduced, modern aesthetic of the exhibition chambers, with their specially developed lighting concept and impressively presented salt sculptures, offers a state-of-the-art adventure for visitors and ensures that Salzwelten Salzburg provides them with an experience that is truly unique.
