Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden
For centuries, salt was the basis of Berchtesgaden's wealth. In the 12th century, Emperor Barbarossa gave mining rights to a Benedictine abbey that had been founded here a century earlier. The abbey was secularized early in the 19th century, when it was taken over by Berchtesgaden's princely rulers. Where once only select guests were allowed to see how the source of the city's wealth was extracted from the earth, today an hour-long tour will transport you—via a miniature train—nearly 1 km (½ mile) into the mountain to an enormous chamber where the salt is mined. This is one the region's most popular family attractions, as tours also include rides down the wooden chutes used by miners to get from one level to another, as well as a boat ride on an underground saline lake the size of a football field. Adult visitors may wish to join one of the special four-hour dinners inside the mine; they're very popular so book early.
