Wieliczka Salt Mine is in the town of Wieliczka, southern Poland, which lies inside Krakow metropolitan area. From your Neolithic times, table salt was produced here from the upwelling brine.
Nowadays, the mine never extracts salt by mining because extraction stopped in 1996. Salt remains to be produced from underground brine, it’s then pumped to the surface and turned into pure evaporated salt.
The mines are now the state Polish Historical Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its attraction includes four chapels, an underground lake, historic salt-mining and labyrinthine technology displays.
Learn more about Wieliczka Salt Mine of these top ten fascinating facts.
1. Wieliczka Salt Mine is Over 700 Years
The history with the Wieliczka Salt mine extends back towards the thirteenth century. Brine following to the surface have been collected and processed because of its sodium chloride content.
King Casimir II the truly amazing contributed greatly to the continuing development of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This granted the mines many privileges anf the husband took the miners under his protection.
On the duration of the mine’s running, many chambers were dug as well as other technologies were added, like the Hungarian horse treadmill. During Wwii, the Germans used the mine being an underground facility for war-related manufacturing.
2. A lot of the Mine Interior is constructed of Salt
This is a salt mill, after all. Most tunnels have walls, floors, roofs, as well as crystal decorations and statues carved in salt. When you look at the mines, you are able to touch something to feel.
You will find wooden beams in the tunnels, and are also the many sculptures and reliefs throughout the mine. The wood was used to safeguard the walls and ceilings created from salt, and that’s why there wasn’t any forest near Wieliczka inside the 15th century.
You can find most stunning crystals hanging from numerous chandeliers from the mine. They look like glass but are actually giant salt crystals from rock salt which have been dissolved and reconstructed.
3. Wieliczka belongs to a UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland was placed in the UNESCO World Heritage list plus the historic city centre of Krakow. It can be among the oldest mines on the planet.
The oldest document confirms its existence goes back to 1044. The mine site also includes the Wieliczka Saltworks Castle and also the nearby Bochnia Salt Mine.
4. The Mine Has for Chapels
The physical conditions in the mines weren’t the very best. So, the miners created four chapels to hope in. The mine is the merely one having an underground church in Europe.
One of the chapels was the Chapel of St. Kinga, essentially the most impressive section of the salt mines. It took over many years for three men to complete the chapel removing approximately 20,000 tonnes of salt.
Holy masses are finished even today on the occasion in the name day’s St. Kinga and yuletide. Additionally there is a large salt statue in honour of St. Kinga, where you can also see a portion of the chandeliers with their rock salt crystal.
5. In The Middle Age, Wieliczka Salt Mining Generated another of Poland’s Income
The income from salt mining landed a third of the wages of the royal treasury in Poland. Salt was considered a noble metal and it was called “White gold”.
In that time, many transactions were paid using salt and work, and that’s why nowadays, the phrase “salary” is utilized to spell out earnings.
Because of salt income, tenement houses and royal residences were built. This created a fortune for families with names growing from salt.
6. The Mines have numerous Unique Machinery and Structure
You will find the world’s largest mining machines made of wood, a horse treadmill in the 17th century as well as the horn of miners from the miner’s brotherhood from 1534. Inside the 17th century, the initial horse was exposed to the salt mine.
The few things from the mine that weren’t made of salt were buckets, winches, mining tools and a few sculptures made of wood. Salt is a superb preservative and a lot of tools and apparatus remain in great condition.
7. Hot Air Ballooning and Sailing Have Happened in the Mine
A warm air balloon was lifted 65 feet started for four minutes in 2014. However, there is no evidence that online outside their internet site.
Also, activities happened inside the mines, like soccer games and windsurfing on Subterrain Lake. Some areas can be hired out for formal dinners, weddings, as well as concerts.
8. The Mine is Deep
The best part of the mine is 1073 feet underground and also the total whole mine tunnel is 178 miles.
The simplest approach to the mines is the tourist route, which lets you understand the beauty of the mine as well as the most crucial parts of it. The length is 3.5 kilometres along with the depth you’ll reach is 135 meters.
Most rocks within the mine possess a dull grey look; however, in certain batches, the salts look fluffy white. The miners nicknamed this cauliflower.
9. The Mines Are already Featured in Culture
In 1995, Preisner’s Music, a compilation of film music by Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner was recorded by Sinfonia Varsovia in the Wieliczka mines chapel. Also, in 1999 in the US, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was featured inside a Modern Marvels episode on salt mines.
From the Australian tv series Spellbinder: Land in the Dragon Lord, the mines were featured because the Land from the Moloch. The mines also have appeared on multiple editions of your reality show; The Amazing Race, The astounding Race Australia 1 and many more.
10. Breath Healthy Air During Your Visit
The environment inside Wieliczka salt mine is provided for free from bacteria, viruses and pollutants. A visit to them can relieve people experiencing respiratory diseases and allergies and it also helps cure a hangover.
To get more information about Salt Mine and Auschwitz tour take a look at the best internet page