The old salt route

The old salt route leads from Halle to Prague across the Northern Bohemia since the Middle Ages. It was made through the valleys, ravines, over the Ore Mountains, on slopes and ridges. It lead wherever it was possible to go with the carriage and horses. Later people improved and enlarged the routes. Still we can find any rests of the old ones.

If we follow the salt route from Saxony to Bohemia, we can admire the unforgettable landscape on both sides of the border line. From Sayda we slowly climb the slopes and after the ridge we slide down upto Litvinov town, where the way is rather steep. The name of the merchant route is based on the key product – the white gold/salt, which was mined in mid Saxony and transported into Czech Kingdom, because there were no salt mines. The Czech bought the salt or they exchange it for the other materials, especially ores, which were enough on the Czech site of the mountains. According the written notices this trade was already hold in the 12^th centrury. But even earlier, in the time of the Celts, we can find this exchange activity under the Ore mountains, where were many mining centers.

In Bohemia the salt was always very expensive and rare product, and merchants selling salt got very rich here. We bought salt even in Salcburk (Austria) or in Halle an der Saale (Germany). There we can find more than 12 trading routes to whole Europe, on which the “salt-sellers” transported salt into 1200 towns. On the way back they brought another wanted products as ore, textile, spices etc.

The salt route goes through: Halle – Leisnig - Seiffen - Litvínov - Most- Dobroměřice – Louny- Cítoliby-Smolnice-Panenský Týnec- Slaný – Praha.

Did you know, the inundation bridge and the bridge over the Eger (Ohře) were built because of the busy merchant route and the need to get dry over the river. The Louny dwellers charged the toll for the bridge crossing and Louny got rich thanks the salt and water.