It was not until the twelfth century that the archbishops of Salzburg rediscovered the salt deposits in the Dürrnberg as a source of wealth. During its heyday under Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, up to 36,000 tonnes of salt were mined on the Dürrnberg each year. The objects on display offer insights into everyday life in the salt town and the harsh living conditions of the salt workers. In the Regency Rooms (‘Fürstenzimmer’), the most extensive surviving cycle of paintings tells the story of salt production in the eighteenth century.

Prince Archbishop Sigismund von Schrattenbach was most enthusiastic about salt mining. No wonder, since all the revenues belonged to him. He commissioned Benedikt Werkstötter, who painted a total of 74 framed pictures in oil on canvas stretched across the walls in 1757/58. Explanations of the individual images can be found in the Museum of the Celts app. The Regency Rooms were used for ceremonial purposes and for overseeing the administration of the saltworks.