The
meaning of Untersberg as an economic resource is closely connected
to the excellent spring water and the Untersberg marble. Then, with
the discovery of the ice-caves at the beginning of the 19th century,
Untersberg also built up a reputation for tourism. In the 15th century
the water of the giant spring near Fürstenbrunn was already brought
to court in the City of Salzburg by water horsemen. In 1875 the first
water pipe system was installed.
The
oldest known artefacts from Untersberg marble such as columns, tombs,
urns and inscription plaques have their origin in Roman Times. The
use of the rock can be traced through the complete construction and
art history in the area of Salzburg. Starting with Roman boundary
stones and urns, the climax of its use is represented by statues of
the Renaissance and the Baroque (Residence Fountain, City of Salzburg;
Plague column, Vienna; and many others)
Large
non-wooded areas were caused by alpine meadow farming, their use reached
a climax in the Middle Ages. The standing timber in the area of Berchtesgaden
was mainly used for the saline and termporarily the mountain was almost
totally bereft of its forests. Towards the end of the last century
controlled reforestation took place.
