Search engine for touristic excursions to any place in the world Wieliczka Salt Mine influences capital of scotland – Wieliczka, southern Poland, which lies inside Krakow metropolitan area. From your Neolithic times, table salt was produced here through the upwelling brine.
Nowadays, the mine never extracts salt by mining because extraction stopped in 1996. Salt is still created from underground brine, it’s then pumped for the surface and transformed into pure evaporated salt.
The mines have become the 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.
Find out about Wieliczka Salt Mine in these best fascinating facts.
1. Wieliczka Salt Mine is finished 700 Years
The history with the Wieliczka Salt mine goes back on the thirteenth century. Brine following up to the surface have been collected and processed for the sodium chloride content.
King Casimir II the truly great contributed greatly on the development of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This granted the mines many privileges anf the husband took the miners under his protection.
Over the use of the mine’s running, many chambers were dug and various technologies were added, for example the Hungarian horse treadmill. During The second world war, the Germans used the mine just as one underground facility for war-related manufacturing.
2. A lot of the Mine Interior is constructed of Salt
This is the salt mill, in fact. Most tunnels have walls, floors, roofs, and even crystal decorations and statues carved in salt. After you visit the mines, you are able to touch something to feel.
There are wooden beams from the tunnels, and so are the lots of sculptures and reliefs around the mine. The wood was applied to protect the walls and ceilings created from salt, which is the reason there was no 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 one of many oldest mines on earth.
The oldest document confirms its existence dates back to 1044. The mine site comes with the Wieliczka Saltworks Castle and also the nearby Bochnia Salt Mine.
4. The Mine Has for Chapels
The physical conditions from the mines weren’t the very best. So, the miners created four chapels to pray in. The mine may be the only 1 with the underground church in Europe.
One of the chapels was the Chapel of St. Kinga, probably the most impressive section of the salt mines. It took control of three decades for three men to finish the chapel removing approximately 20,000 tonnes of salt.
Holy masses are finished even now for the occasion of the name day of St. Kinga and Christmas. Gleam large salt statue in honour of St. Kinga, which you could also see some of the chandeliers using their rock salt crystal.
5. In the centre Age, Wieliczka Salt Mining Generated a Third of Poland’s Income
The wages from salt mining landed one third from 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, which explains why nowadays, the word “salary” is employed to spell out earnings.
As a result of salt income, tenement houses and royal residences were built. This developed a fortune for families with names growing out of salt.
6. The Mines have several Unique Machinery and Structure
You’ll find the world’s largest mining machines made from wood, a horse treadmill from the 17th century along with the horn of miners from the miner’s brotherhood from 1534. Inside the 17th century, the first horse was delivered to the salt mine.
The few things from the mine that weren’t made from salt were buckets, winches, mining tools plus some sculptures made of wood. Salt is a wonderful preservative and lots of tools and apparatus continue to be in excellent.
7. Heat Ballooning and Sailing Have Occurred from the Mine
A hot air balloon was lifted 65 feet off the floor for four minutes in 2014. However, there is no proof of that online outside their internet site.
Also, sports activities happened inside the mines, such as 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 minimum the main mine is 1073 feet below ground as well as the total whole mine tunnel is 178 miles.
Easy and simple option to the mines will be the tourist route, which lets you see the great thing about the mine and also the most critical aspects of it. The distance is 3.5 kilometres along with the depth you are going to reach is 135 meters.
Most rocks within the mine possess a dull grey look; however, in a few 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 inside the Wieliczka mines chapel. Also, in 1999 in the US, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was featured within a Modern Marvels episode on salt mines.
Within the Australian tv series Spellbinder: Land with the Dragon Lord, the mines were featured since the Land from the Moloch. The mines also have appeared on multiple editions of a reality show; The Amazing Race, The astounding Race Australia 1 and more.
10. Breath Healthy Air Within your Visit
Air inside the Wieliczka salt mine costs nothing from bacteria, viruses and pollutants. Visiting them can relieve people being affected by respiratory diseases and allergies you’ll take pride in helps cure a hangover.
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