Forestry Administration

Official building of the salt office since 1838/39
Imperial saline and forest department since 1850
Federal forest administration since 1926

The imposing house was built in 1838/39 as a second official building of the salt office next to the chamber office complex because of space shortage there. Back then, it was just called salt office house. Starting in 1850 it housed the “imperial saline and forest department for the Crown land of Austria above the river Enns”, from 1876 to 1925 it was called the “imperial forest and estates department of Gmunden”. After the dissolving of the forest and estates department the Salzkammergut-forests were subordinated to the newly-established general directorate of the Austrian forest in 1926. The office was officially called federal forest directorate. Common descriptions were forest directorate and forest office. After the Gmunden location had been dissolved, the building was sold to the Klosterplatz Verwaltungs-GmbH & Co. KG in 2010. In 2013 the Raiffeisenbank Salzkammergut bought the object. The revamped building with a modern extension-wing nowadays carries the name “Haus Salzkammergut” (www.haussalzkammergut.at). In it the Raiffeisenbank Salzkammergut premises can be found and moreover the café and restaurant “das forst”. Some parts of the large complex are rented out to businesses and insurance companies.