Keltenmuseum Hallein

About the museum

The Keltenmuseum goes back to the Hallein city museum founded in 1882, which changed location several times and was last housed in the Griestor. Since the 19th century, ever more Iron Age finds came to light during recoveries and excavations on the Dürrnberg; from 1949 the local museum curator Ernst Penninger supervised the excavations. In 1970 the museum moved into the former administrative building of the saltworks on the Pflegerplatz and received its present name.

The building was erected in 1654 by Prince-Archbishop Guidobald von Thun for the saltworks administration. In the Princes' Rooms on the top floor hangs a cycle of paintings made in 1757/58 by Benedikt Werkstötter, which depicts in over 70 scenes the work involved in salt production. With the Salzburg state exhibition “The Celts in Central Europe”, the house became internationally known in 1980. Conversions by Heinz Tesar (1994) and the firm Halle 1 (2004) gave it its present form.

The museum sees itself as an archaeology and city museum: it holds most of the Iron Age finds from the Dürrnberg and tells of the mining, settlements and burial customs of the Celts. A separate department shows the prehistory of the state of Salzburg, another the history of Hallein from archiepiscopal salt mining to the present. Since 2012 Salzburg Museum GmbH has run the house as part of a cooperation. The Keltenmuseum also includes the Stille Nacht Museum Hallein in the former residence of Franz Xaver Gruber.

Since 2025 the “Kurt Zeller Forum” has been under construction in the attic as a new space for special exhibitions and events; the museum continues to operate in the meantime.

Highlights

• Celtic finds from the Dürrnberg with jewellery of gold, amber and coral
• Walk-in mine galleries and glimpses into burial chambers
• Princes' Rooms with the 1757/58 picture cycle on salt-making
• Bronze Age helmet from the Pass Lueg in the prehistory exhibition
• Interactive children's exhibition “Celts for Kids” and bone lab

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Kelten – 2.600 Jahre Siedlungsgeschichte auf dem Dürrnberg – Finds from the mine, settlements and graves of the Dürrnberg show the work, daily life and prosperity of the Celts, whose trade routes reached as far as amber and coral.
• Zeitsprünge – Ursprünge – A family-friendly journey through the prehistory of the state of Salzburg from the Mesolithic to the late Iron Age, featuring, for example, the helmet from the Pass Lueg.
• Halleiner Stadtgeschichte – The salt town from archiepiscopal mining to the present, with the Princes' Rooms and their large picture cycle on salt production in the 18th century.

Founded

1970

Operated by

Stadt Hallein; Betriebsführung Salzburg Museum GmbH

Director

Florian Knopp

Admission & discounts

With a Salzwelten Salzburg ticket, 20% discount on admission. Combination ticket with the Stille Nacht Museum Hallein available. Members of the museum association Celtic Heritage and the Salzburg museum association have free admission. Tickets also online.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible for people with reduced mobility; a lift serves all floors. The museum education rooms are barrier-free.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

The interactive exhibition “Celts for Kids” is aimed at two- to fourteen-year-olds: uncover a dig site, sort finds, weave and take part in a race. In the bone lab, families use models to explore what skeletons reveal about the life of the Celts. The character kURt, the prehistory worm, accompanies visitors through the prehistory exhibition. Regular family programmes (“Familienzeit”).

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with replicas of Celtic finds and souvenirs, also accessible without a museum visit. Museum garden for relaxing.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit