Tiroler Steinoel Museum

The Tiroler Steinöl Museum in Pertisau on the Achensee documents Tyrol's shale oil industry, one of the lesser-known chapters of Alpine industrial history. Steinöl (stone oil) is a bituminous substance distilled from shale rock found in Tyrol, used as a remedy and later as an industrial lubricant and fuel source from the 18th century.

The Tiroler Steinöl Museum in Pertisau at the Achensee documents one of Europe’s earliest commercial petroleum-adjacent industries: the distillation of oil from bituminous shale rock that was practiced in Tyrol from the 18th century, predating the modern oil industry. It’s an unexpectedly specific museum in a lake resort setting, and genuinely interesting if you care about industrial history or energy history. Open seasonally; check steinoel.at. The Achensee ferry makes Pertisau accessible from the other lake shore without a car.