From “White Gold” to therapeutic brine: an interactive journey through the Westphalian Salt Worlds in Bad Sassendorf

Bad Sassendorf and the topic of salt simply belong together. The extraction of “white gold” in this area has been documented since the 12th century. When industrial salt production in the municipality ended in 1952, the focus increasingly shifted to the medical use of brine. Bad Sassendorf transformed into a modern spa and rehabilitation resort.

To preserve this historical heritage and make it accessible to everyone, the Westfälische Salzwelten (Westphalian Salt Worlds) dedicate themselves to the topic of salt from a wide variety of perspectives.

A Glowing Crystal

The experiential museum “Westfälische Salzwelten” opened in 2015. It is located in the outbuildings of the approximately 600-year-old Haulle estate. Even from the outside, I really liked the museum. An architectural highlight is the modern glass cube integrated into the heritage-listed building. Visually, it is modeled after a gigantic salt crystal that glows beautifully in the evening.

The Salt Worlds are a great destination for families, history buffs, and spa guests. In this interactive experiential museum, everything revolves around the topic of salt. The exhibition is divided into two main areas, cleverly connected by the huge, glass salt crystal in the center of the building.

Deep Underground: The Geology of Salt

When I enter the ground floor, my eyes first have to adjust to the darkness. It starts with a little journey through time, beginning 250 million years ago in geology. I learn about the formation of salt and how salt even got to the region 250 million years ago in the first place.

I found the realization that not all salt is created equal particularly exciting. I was aware that salt is extracted from seawater and through mining. But I didn’t know that mined salt is so incredibly diverse. Not only the structure of the salt crystals, but also the color and even the taste differ massively depending on their place of origin. Many interactive stations provide variety here and impart knowledge in a playful way, which is a huge fun factor, especially for children.

Breathe Deeply and Feel: Salt for Body and Soul

On the upper floor, the atmosphere changes completely. On this floor, the focus is on people. It’s about the healing effects of salt, brine, and moor mud on our respiratory tracts, joints, and skin.

In addition to the medical aspects, the exhibition also takes a critical look at our diets. I was terrified to learn here how much hidden salt is present in our everyday foods. We consume so much more salt than the human body actually needs to function.

My personal highlight was the brine inhalation. To experience the health aspects practically rather than just theoretically, there are areas where I could breathe in the salty air directly and feel its relaxing effects.

Looking Over the Salt Boiler’s Shoulder

I learned from a real master salt boiler just how much hard work used to go into salt. In the specially built boiling hut, you can attend a workshop where the individual steps of traditional salt boiling are explained in great detail.

The Starting Point: Sassendorf Natural Brine

The raw material is the Sassendorf natural brine (salty water from the earth). Traditionally, this brine was first directed over the graduation tower. There, the water trickles over blackthorn branches, with some of the water evaporating due to the wind. The salt content in the remaining water increases. In the past, this saved the boiler hands an enormous amount of expensive firewood, as significantly less water had to be evaporated in the pan to get to the salt.

Heating Up the Boiling Pan

The highly concentrated brine is fed into the large, flat metal pan, known as the boiling pan or brewing pan. Then the heat is turned way up. The liquid must be heated strongly so that the water can evaporate slowly, leaving only the pure salt behind.

“Disturbing” the Steaming Brew

While the water boils and evaporates, the master boiler cannot stand idly by. The boiling brine is constantly moved using large tools. In technical jargon, this process is called “disturbing” (Stören). This prevents the salt from settling unevenly on the bottom, caking, or the pan from being damaged by the extreme heat.

Crystallization

This is the most exciting moment: When enough water has evaporated, the brine becomes “supersaturated.” Small salt crystals form on the surface and slowly sink. The master boiler now carefully skims off the moist, glittering salt crystals using special ladles or sieves. This requires a lot of finesse to maintain the perfect crystal structure.

Drying

The skimmed-off salt is still very moist and clumped together. It is collected in special baskets or on wooden racks so that the remaining moisture can drip off and the natural salt can dry completely in the air. What remains in the end is coarse, white natural salt.

The Spice Workshop: My Personal Herb Salt

During my visit, I participated in the “Spice Workshop – Creative Herb Blends” (WürzWerkstatt) and learned how to make herb salt. We had already learned the most important theoretical basics beforehand in the exhibition, so we went straight into production.

A high-quality coarse salt served as the base. In addition, countless jars full of dried herbs, spices, and sometimes even edible flowers were available (for example, rosemary, thyme, chili, or marigolds for a beautiful look). Everyone is allowed to choose their favorite ingredients themselves or prepare a salt according to a given recipe.

I opted for a recipe variation and first had to grind peppercorns in a mortar. Afterward, I weighed out all the necessary ingredients and added them to the mortar. What followed was real manual labor requiring a lot of muscle power. Through vigorous grinding and mortaring, the plant fibers break open. The essential oils of the herbs are released and can bond intensely with the moisture-attracting salt crystals. This ensures a much more intense aroma than if you just loosely mix the ingredients.

In the end, I filled my personal spice blend into a matching little jar and was allowed to take it home. Now, every time I cook with it, the scent of the Salt Worlds returns to my nose.

My Travel Tip: The Perfect Bad Sassendorf Experience

Anyone visiting the Salt Worlds should definitely plan a little extra time for Bad Sassendorf. From the museum, it is only a short walk into the expansive spa park. This is where the graduation tower stands. After learning the theory in the museum, you can take a deep breath here in practice and enjoy the brine-rich air. For the perfect end to a “salt day,” I recommend a subsequent visit to the local Börde Therme, where you can float almost weightlessly in the warm thermal brine water.

Visitor Information

Address

Westfälische Salzwelten (Erlebnismuseum)
An der Rosenau 2
59505 Bad Sassendorf

The visit took place as part of a bloggers’ trip organised by Wirtschafts- und Tourismus GmbH Möhnesee, Tagungs- und Kongresszentrum Bad Sassendorf GmbH and Wirtschaft und Marketing Soest GmbH . Many thanks also to Tanja for organising it.

Published 26 July 2026