A long time ago, the museum association placed its focus on local minerals – based on Salzburg’s unique geology and the emerald deposit in the Habachtal valley near Bramberg. Since June 2025, this new exhibition has enriched the museum, representing one of the finest mineralogical displays in Europe, both in terms of scientific content and visual presentation.

Several rooms on the ground floor have been redesigned for this purpose – here, the history of mineral collecting takes centre stage. The exhibition focuses on the people who, through skill and perseverance, are able to discover and retrieve the mineral treasures hidden in our mountains.

One part explores the general history of collecting, which began in the Stone Age and can be traced even in our region. Excavations at the Roman town of Aguntum unearthed many rock crystals, and during the Middle Ages, efforts were made to find the largest and purest crystals, which were then sold to Northern Italian workshops for the production of vases, goblets and more. Private collecting only began in the second half of the 19th century. In another room, seven collectors are presented through text, images and film – among them the Pinzgau historian and priest Josef Lahnsteiner, the well-known TV host Sepp Forcher, and other local collectors.

With the life-sized sculpture “The Stone Carrier”, the renowned artist Hans-Peter Profunser from the Drau Valley has created a true eye-catcher. Right next to it – in the “Alm”, which forms part of the existing folklore exhibition – an encounter between a medieval “Venedigermandl” and an alpine farmer is brought to life through a captivating shadow theatre performance, staged by Neukirchen’s cultural creator Charly Rabanser.