Wieliczka Salt Mine is in the capital of scotland – Wieliczka, southern Poland, which lies inside Krakow metropolitan area. From your Neolithic times, table salt was produced here in the upwelling brine.
Nowadays, the mine never extracts salt by mining because extraction stopped in 1996. Salt is still produced from underground brine, this will make it pumped on the surface and changed into pure evaporated salt.
The mines are now a state Polish Historical Monument as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its attraction includes four chapels, an underground lake, historic salt-mining and labyrinthine technology displays.
Find out more about Wieliczka Salt Mine over these top 10 fascinating facts.
1. Wieliczka Salt Mine is Over 700 Years
The history of the Wieliczka Salt mine dates back for the thirteenth century. Brine following up to the surface ended up collected and processed for the sodium chloride content.
King Casimir II the truly great contributed greatly for the growth and development of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This granted the mines many privileges and he took the miners under his protection.
On the duration of the mine’s running, many chambers were dug and other technologies were added, like the Hungarian horse treadmill. During Wwii, the Germans used the mine as an underground facility for war-related manufacturing.
2. Almost all of the Mine Interior is Made of Salt
This can be a salt mill, after all. Most tunnels have walls, floors, roofs, and even crystal decorations and statues carved in salt. After you go to the mines, you’ll be able to touch everything to feel.
You can find wooden beams in the tunnels, and are also the lots of sculptures and reliefs around the mine. The wood was adopted to protect the walls and ceilings made of salt, which is the reason there was no forest near Wieliczka from the 15th century.
There are most stunning crystals hanging from numerous chandeliers from the mine. They search like glass but are actually giant salt crystals from rock salt which were 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 alongside the historic city centre of Krakow. It’s among the oldest mines in the world.
The oldest document confirms its existence dates back to 1044. The mine site also includes the Wieliczka Saltworks Castle as well as the nearby Bochnia Salt Mine.
4. The Mine Has for Chapels
The conditions from the mines weren’t the most effective. So, the miners created four chapels to hope in. The mine is the merely one having an underground church in Europe.
Among the chapels was the Chapel of St. Kinga, probably the most impressive area of the salt mines. It took control of three decades for 3 men to finish the chapel removing approximately 20,000 tonnes of salt.
Holy masses are performed even now on the occasion of the name day’s St. Kinga and Christmas. Additionally there is a large salt statue in honour of St. Kinga, where you can also see a lot of the chandeliers using their rock salt crystal.
5. At the center Age, Wieliczka Salt Mining Generated another of Poland’s Income
The wages from salt mining included a third with the earnings of the royal treasury in Poland. Salt was considered a noble metal and was called “White gold”.
During that time, many transactions were paid using salt and work, which is the reason nowadays, the word “salary” is utilized to describe earnings.
On account of salt income, tenement houses and royal residences were built. This created a fortune for families with names growing out of salt.
6. The Mines have numerous Unique Machinery and Structure
You can find the world’s largest mining machines made of wood, a horse treadmill through the 17th century along with the horn of miners from the miner’s brotherhood from 1534. From the 17th century, the 1st horse was brought to the salt mine.
The few things inside the mine that weren’t made from salt were buckets, winches, mining tools and several sculptures created from wood. Salt is a superb preservative and lots of tools and apparatus are nevertheless in excellent.
7. Heat Ballooning and Horseriding Have Occurred from the Mine
A hot air balloon was lifted 65 feet off the floor for four minutes in 2014. However, there isn’t any proof that online outside their site.
Also, sports activities occured in the mines, including soccer games and windsurfing on Subterrain Lake. Some areas might be hired out for formal dinners, weddings, and also concerts.
8. The Mine is Deep
The cheapest the main mine is 1073 feet underground and also the total whole mine tunnel is 178 miles.
Easy and simple route to the mines could be the tourist route, which allows you to begin to see the beauty of the mine as well as the most important areas of it. The space is 3.5 kilometres and the depth you are going to reach is 135 meters.
Most rocks inside the mine possess a dull grey look; however, in some batches, the salts look fluffy white. The miners nicknamed this cauliflower.
9. The Mines Have already been Featured in Culture
In 1995, Preisner’s Music, a compilation of film music by Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner was recorded by Sinfonia Varsovia from the Wieliczka mines chapel. Also, in 1999 in the US, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was featured in a Modern Marvels episode on salt mines.
Inside the Australian television series Spellbinder: Land in the Dragon Lord, the mines were featured because the Land in the Moloch. The mines have appeared on multiple editions of a reality show; The astonishing Race, The astounding Race Australia 1 and others.
10. Breath Healthy Air In your Visit
The air in the Wieliczka salt mine costs nothing from bacteria, viruses and pollutants. A trip to them can relieve people experiencing respiratory diseases and allergies looked after helps cure a hangover.
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