Wieliczka Salt Mine is in the area of Wieliczka, southern Poland, which lies inside Krakow metropolitan area. From the Neolithic times, table salt was produced here from your upwelling brine.
Nowadays, the mine never extracts salt by mining because extraction stopped in 1996. Salt continues to be made out of underground brine, this will make it pumped towards the surface and transformed into pure evaporated salt.
The mines have become a state Polish Historical Monument plus 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 over these top 10 fascinating facts.
1. Wieliczka Salt Mine is Over 700 Years
A brief history with the Wieliczka Salt mine dates back to the thirteenth century. Brine following to the surface ended up collected and processed for its sodium chloride content.
King Casimir II the Great contributed greatly to the continuing development of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This granted the mines many privileges and the man took the miners under his protection.
Within the use of the mine’s running, many chambers were dug as well as technologies were added, for example the Hungarian horse treadmill. During World War II, the Germans used the mine as an underground facility for war-related manufacturing.
2. Most of The Mine Interior is made from Salt
This is the salt mill, all things considered. Most tunnels have walls, floors, roofs, and even crystal decorations and statues carved in salt. When you check out the mines, you can touch everything to feel.
You’ll find wooden beams in the tunnels, and they are the lots of sculptures and reliefs across the mine. The wood was applied to shield the walls and ceilings made of salt, and that’s why there was no forest near Wieliczka within the 15th century.
You can find most stunning crystals hanging from numerous chandeliers within the mine. They search like glass however 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 indexed by the UNESCO World Heritage list plus the historic city centre of Krakow. It’s among the oldest mines on earth.
The oldest document confirms its existence goes to 1044. The mine site also may include the Wieliczka Saltworks Castle and also the nearby Bochnia Salt Mine.
4. The Mine Has for Chapels
The stipulations inside the mines weren’t the very best. So, the miners created four chapels to hope in. The mine will be the merely one having an underground church in Europe.
One of several chapels was the Chapel of St. Kinga, essentially the most impressive the main salt mines. It took over many years for 3 men to perform the chapel removing approximately 20,000 tonnes of salt.
Holy masses are finished even now on the occasion from the name day of St. Kinga and xmas. There is also a large salt statue in honour of St. Kinga, where one can also see several of the chandeliers using rock salt crystal.
5. In the center Age, Wieliczka Salt Mining Generated one third of Poland’s Income
The wages from salt mining included another of the earnings of the royal treasury in Poland. Salt was considered a noble metal and was called “White gold”.
In that time, many transactions were paid using salt and work, which explains why nowadays, the word “salary” can be used to spell out earnings.
On account of salt income, tenement houses and royal residences were built. This designed a fortune for families with names growing out of salt.
6. The Mines have some of Unique Machinery and Structure
There are the world’s largest mining machines made of wood, a horse treadmill in the 17th century along with the horn of miners through 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 manufactured from salt were buckets, winches, mining tools and some sculptures made of wood. Salt is an excellent preservative and many tools and apparatus remain in excellent.
7. Hot Air Ballooning and Bungee Jumping Have Came about within the Mine
A warm air balloon was lifted 65 feet up for four minutes in 2014. However, there is no evidence of that online outside their site.
Also, sports activities happened from the mines, like soccer games and windsurfing on Subterrain Lake. Some areas might be hired out for formal dinners, weddings, and in many cases concerts.
8. The Mine is Deep
The minimum area of the mine is 1073 feet underground and also the total length of the mine tunnel is 178 miles.
Easy and simple path to the mines may be the tourist route, which lets you understand the beauty of the mine as well as the most important aspects of it. The gap is 3.5 kilometres along with the depth you will reach is 135 meters.
Most rocks inside the mine have a dull grey look; however, in some batches, the salts look fluffy white. The miners nicknamed this cauliflower.
9. The Mines Happen to be 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 in a Modern Marvels episode on salt mines.
Within the Australian tv series Spellbinder: Land in the Dragon Lord, the mines were featured because the Land of the Moloch. The mines have appeared on multiple editions of an reality show; The spectacular Race, The astonishing Race Australia 1 and more.
10. Breath Healthy Air On your Visit
The environment inside Wieliczka salt mine is free of charge from bacteria, viruses and pollutants. Checking out the them can relieve people struggling with respiratory diseases and allergies and it also helps cure a hangover.
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