GCC Salt Mine

General Contractual Terms and Conditions for Conduct when visiting the Salt Mine

1. General

1.1 These General Terms and Conditions shall apply upon payment of the entrance fee.

1.2 Access is only permitted with a valid entrance ticket.

1.3 Persons aged 13 and under may only enter if accompanied by a supervising adult.

Persons aged between 14 and 16 must show written permission from a parent or legal guardian upon entry (a signature will suffice). Groups of more than 4 young people aged between 14 and 16 must also be accompanied by a supervising adult.

1.4 Instructions from staff must be followed.

1.5   No animals of any kind may be brought into the Salt Mine.

1.6 Smoking is forbidden in all buildings and underground. This also applies to smoking and the consumption of cannabis; the latter also applies within a radius of 100 metres of the buildings and the entrance area, insofar as this is located on the grounds of the salt mine. Rubbish and cigarettes must be disposed of in the appropriate containers/ash trays in front of the buildings.

1.7 Visitors under the influence of mind-altering medication, drugs or under the influence of alcohol or who run riot will be excluded from access by supervising staff.

2. Parking

Parking on the premises is only permitted in the indicated visitor parking spaces. Please ensure that any pets in cars are not exposed to the sun for the duration of the visit.       

3. Cloakroom

3.1 Hats, sticks (including Nordic walking poles), umbrellas, rucksacks, baby carriers and other containers and bulky items may not be taken underground. They may be stored in the lockers in the Visitors’ Centre. No liability is undertaken for any of these items.

3.2 Lockers are provided for valuables. No liability is undertaken for any of these items.

3.3 Pushchairs may not be taken underground. A small number of front-facing baby carriers are available to borrow.

4. Clothing

4.1 For safety reasons, during the guided tour all visitors must wear the clothing provided by the Mine which can be put on over normal clothing in the changing room. Visitors must ensure that they return the special clothing provided. The Velcro fastener on the trousers must be closed, especially in the case of children.             

4.2 Supervising staff must be informed of any damage to the specially provided clothing, including damage occurring during the visit, before leaving the premises.

5. Access by the visitor train

5.1 The time of admission to the cloakroom for entry is noted on the entrance ticket. A maximum of 55 adults may board the train. For school groups of students under 12 years old, a maximum of 65 students may board the train.

5.2 Persons who push forward in the queue, board the train without authorisation or generally violate the safety regulations may be excluded from entry to the Mine or be assigned to a later tour. In this event, there will be no entitlement to reimbursement of the entry fee.

6. Disabled persons or persons with mobility restrictions

The Salt Mine endeavours as far as possible to enable disabled persons or those with mobility restrictions to visit the mine. This is, however, limited due to the required exclusion of risks for both visitor groups and individual visitors underground. This applies not only to normal visitor traffic but also to potential evacuation in the event of an emergency. Thus, the following shall apply:

a) It is unfortunately not possible for wheelchair users to visit the visitors‘ mine due to insurmountable obstacles (stairs), narrow emergency exits (in the event of an emergency evacuation).

b) It is generally possibly for persons with mobility issues (not: wheelchair users) to visit the visitors‘ mine on condition that one carer per disabled person is provided to take sole responsiblity for the safety of the person in their care, and that this person is capable of doing so. The carer must be able to ensure that the person can leave the mine  in the event of a problem. Walking frames may not be used on guided tours.

c) It is generally possible for persons with learning disabilities to visit the visitors‘ mine under the same conditions as in b). If there is a group of persons from a supervised facility accompanied by professional carers, the requirement for one-to- one care may be waived. During the tour, the carers must be able to supervise and guide the disabled persons.

d) If the conditions as in b) or c) apply, our supervisor shall make an on-site decision. Acess may be denied if it is clear that entry to the mine would entail an increased risk to the person or the entire visitor group. In this case, the entrance fee paid shall be reimbursed (also to those accompanying the visit, if they, too, are unable to participate in the visit.)

Thus, we strongly recommend that doubts are clarified by telephone when visits are planned.

7. Claustrophobia

Persons with claustrophobia may unfortunately not visit the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine for their own safety.    

8. Safety regulations

8.1 During the guided tour, all instructions from supervising staff must be followed.

8.2 It is essential to remain with the group at all times and never to wander off independently during the tour. If a visitor is unable to continue with the tour, they must inform the tour guide who will then ensure the visitor is collected.

8.3 During entry and exit on the mine train, visitors must keep their feet on the footboards of the vehicle and must not extend their arms or legs out of the vehicle. They must also remain seated and must not jump from the train while it is moving.   

Visitors are not allowed to leave the train until specifically requested to do so by the guide.        

8.4 The guide will explain how to proceed on the slide. These instructions must be followed. In addition, safety films with the correct procedure for the slide are shown in the cloakroom area and on the first slide.

8.5 It is assumed that all persons using the slide are physically able to do so, and each visitor shall take responsibility for this. Visitors who do not wish to use the slide may use the alternative means of descent to the slide (route / steps with handrail).

8.6 Parents (or guardians) are solely responsible for assessing whether their child or the child in their care is capable of using the slide. If the guide has any concerns in this regard, the child may be excluded from using the slide.

8.7 The safety of visitors is paramount. Thus, guides may deny access to the slide at their own discretion if there are safety concerns.

8.8 For the raft ride across the salt lake, visitors must not go beyond the barrier. They must also not swing on the raft, stand on the seats or move around during the trip.

8.9 Barriers may only be opened by the guide.

8.10 All lifts and technical equipment may only be used by the guide. This also applies to ascending and descending by lift and boarding and leaving the mine train.

8.11 It is forbidden to touch and activate all operational equipment or exhibits.

8.12 Access to the entrance and departure platforms is also forbidden, and visitors may also not linger on the platforms.

9. Photography

9.1 Photography is not allowed during the entire tour of the Salt Mine and at the ascent point to the mine entrance for reasons of safety (risk of falling, disturbing other visitors). Photography is permitted in front of the entrance building if this does not impact on operational safety and public transport. Kindly request permission from staff of the Salt Mine (visitor guides, supervisors, cloakroom personnel, box office personnel), before you photograph them.

9.2  To take account of visitor’s requests for a souvenir photograph, visitors agree (for revocation – see below), to photographs being taken of them and, where relevant, their family, at the ascent point to the mine entrance and on the first slide. He can optionally purchase these photos after the end of the tour. If he waives the purchase, the photos and the image data will be destroyed promptly (on the same day). These photographs are not issued by the operator of the Visitor Salt Mine (Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG), but by an independent photographer, photo laboratory at Salzbergwerk GmbH.

9.3 With regard to data protection, we provide you with the following basic information according to Art. 13 and 14 GDPR:

Photography:

Fotolabor am Salzbergwerk GmbH
Bergwerkstrasse 81, 83471 Berchtesgaden
Managing Directors: Michaela Renoth und Angel Alvarez
District Court of Traunstein, HRB 23850
Tel.: 08652 4294
Email: info@foto-st.de

The above is also the Data Controller within the context of GDPR, of other current data privacy legislation in the member states of the European Union and other provisions relating to data protection.

Contact details of the Data Protection Officer:

The address of the Data Protection Officer is as follows:

Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG
Datenschutzbeauftragter
Salzgrund 67
74076 Heilbronn

Alternatively, use the following email address for your enquiries:
datenschutz@salzwerke.de

Processing purposes and legal basis in general:

Photographs are taken to provide visitors to the Salt Mine with a souvenir which can be taken away at the end of the visit. The photographs are printed and made available for viewing. 15 minutes after the end of the tour, the photographs that have not been purchased are removed from display; the photos and files are destroyed or deleted in the evening after closing time.

The legal basis is consent on the basis of these GTCs which are also indicated to visitors when admission tickets are purchased and in the entrance hall of the Visitor Salt Mine (Art. 6 (1) a) GDPR). Photography is thus part of the visitor contract agreed with visitors (Art. 6 (1) b) GDPR). Photography on the slide also serves as a means of preserving evidence (Art. 6 (1) f) GDPR).

Recipients:

The photographs generated are only offered for purchase to the persons printed in the images. No photographs are distributed to any other persons; this does not apply if a photo has to be used for the purposes of preserving evidence.

Declaration of your right to object and other data protection notices:
https://www.salzbergwerk.de/de/salzbergwerk/fotolabor-am-salzbergwerk

10. Limitation of liability

The liability of the Salt Mine and persons contracted by it is limited to the extent that the Salt Mine shall be liable:

10.1 for the full amount of damages only in cases of wilful intent or gross negligence of its organs or executive employees,

10.2 to the extent of any negligent violation of basic contractual obligations; these are obligations the fulfilment of which is a prerequisite for the proper performance of the contract and on the observance of which you as a contractual partner rely and may rely upon.

10.3 outside such obligations to the extent of wilful intent or gross negligence of simple vicarious agents,

10.4 the Salt Mine shall be liable in cases 10.2 and 10.3 only for the amount of compensation for typically foreseeable damage.

The liability restrictions in no. 10 shall not apply in so far as injury to life, limb or health is concerned.

Dated: August 2023