Hallein

Hallein is a historic town in the Austrian state of Salzburg, the capital of the Hallein district. It is located in the Tennengau region south of the City of Salzburg, along the Salzach river in the shadow of the Untersberg massif, near the border with Germany. With a population of c. 20,300, Hallein is the second largest town of the Salzburg state.

History

Long known for the Hallein Salt Mine in the Dürrnberg plateau, settlements in the area have been traced 4000 years back. It was a Celtic community from 600 BCE until the Romans took over their Noricum kingdom in 15 BCE. The name Hallein is one of many Hall-names in the south German language area that may have something to do with salt mining and for which Celtic, Germanic and other origins have been discussed.

In the 11th century the extraction of salt at Hallein became crucial for the economic wealth of the Salzburg Archbishopric, competing with the salt production of Reichenhall in Bavaria. Archbishop Kuenburg had the Protestant miners expelled at the end of the 17th century, after which several hundred of them emigrated to Walcheren and Zeelandic Flanders in the Dutch Republic.

Hallein District

The Bezirk Hallein is an administrative district (Bezirk) in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Tennengau region.

Area of the district is 668.31 km², with a population of 54,282 (May 15, 2001), and population density 81 persons per km². Administrative center of the district is Hallein.

Administrative divisions

The district is divided into 13 municipalities, one of them is a town, and four of them are market towns.

Towns

Market towns

Municipalities

(population numbers May 15, 2001)

External links

Media related to Hallein District at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 47°39′00″N 13°10′01″E / 47.650°N 13.167°E / 47.650; 13.167