Known as a European architectural wonder, the Wieliczka salt mine has a long history of commercial development and is an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world.
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| Located in southern Poland, the Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Source: wieliczka-saltmine) |
Founded in the 13th century, Wieliczka is a small town in the Krakow metropolitan area in southern Poland. This place used to be a sea with many natural caves. Due to tectonic plates from the earth's crust, this area gradually became land and salt accumulated from seawater, forming giant salt mines in underground caves and crevices.
Locals found salt crystals floating on the surface of the mine, so they collected them and processed them into table salt. From there, the wells in Wieliczka gradually came into operation. Although profitable for Polish industry in the Middle Ages, salt mining declined in the mid-18th century due to falling prices.
The Wieliczka mine ceased commercial salt mining in 1996. Polish authorities restored the mine and added lighting. Miners had previously turned to carving sculptures on the walls for tourism. Because the salt is as hard as gypsum, only skilled artisans could master the art of carving salt into statues.
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| All the statues and decorations in the St. Kinga Chapel are made from pure salt. (Photo: wieliczka-saltmine) |
Inside the mine there are up to 2,000 chambers, 4 chapels, an underground lake, mine shafts and a maze of passages stretching up to 151 meters, a gallery of historical salt mining technology and many statues carved from salt rock.
Located at a depth of more than 100m is the Saint Kinga Chapel decorated with many chandeliers and statues, reliefs on the salt rock walls. Kinga - the patron saint of miners - is one of the most important saints in Poland and Lithuania.
Leaving the St. Kinga Chapel, visitors have two routes: a miner's route, which describes the salt mining industry, and a sightseeing route inside the mine. Each route is about 3.5 km long and takes 3 hours to travel.
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| Located at a depth of 125m and accommodating up to 700 people, Warszawa is a 680m2 room for large parties, seminars, conferences, concerts, performances, celebrations, art exhibitions and even football matches. (Source: wieliczka-saltmine) |
The air here is so clean and pure that the company that manages the Wieliczka mine has been hosting spa sessions for people with respiratory and lung problems for decades. According to Business Insider , the mine has a unique climate, creating a particularly pure air, free of allergens and pollutants, and a constant low temperature of around 13-14.5 degrees Celsius.
During its centuries of existence, the Wieliczka salt mine has attracted countless famous visitors, notably Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, British Baron Robert Baden-Powell, Pope John Paul II, and former US President Bill Clinton.
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| After a walking tour of the caves, lakes, and salt mining process, visitors can dine at a restaurant inside the salt mine. (Source: wieliczka-saltmine) |
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