Schausiedehaus Schönebeck

## Brief description

Production site of Germany's smallest saltworks

## Description

This is where Germany's smallest saltworks production site is located. At the center of the building, there is a demonstration boiling facility unlike any other in Germany. The boiling pan measures 1.50 m by 1.50 m with a depth of 0.15 m, matching late medieval models from the Groß Salzer saltworks. The stove construction is also closely modeled after those historical examples.

However, many elements cannot simply be transferred from the Middle Ages to today – for example, instead of wood, brine is made to crystallize using natural gas. What remains are the traditional secret additives to the brine that create pure white salt. You can learn the secrets of the boiling technique during a tour through the "Kunsthof Bad Salzelmen." You can see for yourself that genuine Schönebeck boiled salt is still produced on the demonstration boiling days.

At the boiling pan, it's shown how the natural pan-boiled salt is obtained from the Bad Salzelmen brine. The brine tower and the Viktoria spring feature interesting details on the development of Bad Salzelmen’s brine wells. Visitors can experience the extraction of the raw brine firsthand, using their own muscle power to set the old wave crank and wooden gearwheel in motion. At what was once Europe’s longest graduation tower, with 300 meters still preserved, you can learn about its construction and how this distinct structure works – and visitors can even attempt to climb it.