Salzburger FIS-Landesskimuseum

About the museum

The Salzburg FIS State Ski Museum on the village square of Werfenweng spans the arc from the first ski tracks some 5,000 years ago to the high-tech equipment of today's racing. It is run by the Kultur- und Museumsverein Salzburger Landesskimuseum (culture and museum association), which works with the State of Salzburg, the International Ski Federation FIS and the Salzburg Ski Association. The museum is a member of the Austrian Museum Association and of ICOM; in October 2025 it received the Austrian Museum Seal of Quality for the fifth consecutive time.

The exhibition follows a journey through time in eight thematic areas: from the earliest finds with guide grooves and bindings, through the pioneers and inventors of alpine skiing such as Matthias Zdarsky and Georg Bilgeri, to the period after the First World War, when military surplus turned skiing into a popular pastime. Further chapters cover the rise of winter tourism and the postwar ski industry, the waves of innovation in the 1980s, as well as ski jumping, Nordic racing and alpine racing.

A local point of pride is the steel ski edge, which was invented in Werfenweng. There are also folding skis used by hunters, precursors of the snowboard from the Salzburg region, and many free-standing exhibits from world ski history. Regular events, such as for the Long Night of Museums, bring figures from sports history into the house.

Highlights

• Ski finds and reconstructions from around 5,000 years
• Steel edge invented in Werfenweng
• Hunters' folding skis and snowboard precursors from the Salzburg region
• Pioneers such as Zdarsky and Bilgeri
• Racing sections for ski jumping, Nordic and alpine

Permanent exhibition

• Skigeschichte in acht Themenbereichen – The permanent exhibition runs from the first ski tracks and the pioneers of skiing through winter tourism and the ski industry to ski jumping, Nordic racing and alpine racing.

Founded

1995

Operated by

Kultur- und Museumsverein Salzburger Landesskimuseum

Admission & discounts

Members of the museum association (€20 annual fee) have free admission and free guided tours, as well as free admission to other museums.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• 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

Most of the museum is reachable only by steps, and the historic wing only by steep, narrow wooden stairs.

Kids & families

• Kids’ birthday parties

Many exhibits stand freely; please supervise small children. Children's birthday parties are possible in the rented ski lounge. The main part is reachable only by steps.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the village square of Werfenweng.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The ski lounge or the entire ski museum can be rented for conferences, events, exhibitions and children's birthday parties; inquiries via the online form.

Plan your visit