Salt refinery tower. 19th century artwork of a tower at a salt refinery in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg ('salt castle') is famous for its association with the salt industry. Before the 19th century, salt was produced by mining deposits or evaporating sea water. The rise of industry in the 18th and 19th century led to new methods of salt production, as seen here. The structure of wooden beams is being used to suspend a material in a basin of salt water. The process will eventually separate the water and the salt, producing salt deposits. Artwork taken from Grands Hommes et Grands Faits de l'Industrie (Great Men and Great Facts of Industry), France, circa 1880.