Auto Draft

Wieliczka Salt Mine influences town of Wieliczka, southern Poland, which lies inside Krakow metropolitan area. Through the 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 continues to be made out of underground brine, then it is pumped to the surface and changed into pure evaporated salt.

The mines are a state Polish Historical Monument along with 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 ends 700 Years
A brief history with the Wieliczka Salt mine goes on the thirteenth century. Brine following up to the surface have been collected and processed due to the sodium chloride content.

King Casimir II the truly great contributed greatly on the continuing development of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This granted the mines many privileges anf the husband took the miners under his protection.

Over the duration of the mine’s running, many chambers were dug as well as technologies were added, for example the Hungarian horse treadmill. During World war 2, the Germans used the mine as a possible underground facility for war-related manufacturing.

2. A lot of the Mine Interior is made from Salt

This can be a salt mill, in the end. Most tunnels have walls, floors, roofs, and also crystal decorations and statues carved in salt. Once you look at the mines, you are able to touch everything to feel.

You will find wooden beams in the tunnels, and they are the dozens of sculptures and reliefs around the mine. The wood was utilized to guard the ceilings and walls made from salt, and that’s why there wasn’t any forest near Wieliczka in the 15th century.

You can find most stunning crystals hanging from numerous chandeliers within the mine. They look like glass but they are actually giant salt crystals from rock salt that were dissolved and reconstructed.

3. Wieliczka belongs to a UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage list alongside the historic city centre of Krakow. It can be among the oldest mines on the planet.

The oldest document confirms its existence dates 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 stipulations from the mines weren’t the very best. So, the miners created four chapels to wish in. The mine will be the only 1 with an underground church in Europe.

One of many chapels was the Chapel of St. Kinga, essentially the most impressive section of the salt mines. It took control of many years for three men to finish the chapel removing approximately 20,000 tonnes of salt.

Holy masses are executed to this day around the occasion in the name day of St. Kinga and xmas. There is also a large salt statue in honour of St. Kinga, which you could also see several of the chandeliers with their rock salt crystal.

5. In the center Age, Wieliczka Salt Mining Generated a 3rd of Poland’s Income
The wages from salt mining landed another with the salary 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 phrase “salary” is utilized to explain earnings.

Due to salt income, tenement houses and royal residences were built. This made a fortune for families with names growing from salt.

6. The Mines have Many Unique Machinery and Structure
You will find the world’s largest mining machines made of wood, a horse treadmill in the 17th century and the horn of miners through the miner’s brotherhood from 1534. Within the 17th century, the 1st horse was brought to the salt mine.

The few things from the mine that weren’t manufactured from salt were buckets, winches, mining tools and a few sculptures made of wood. Salt is a great preservative and several tools and apparatus continue to be in excellent.

7. Heat Ballooning and Sailing Have Came about from the Mine
A warm air balloon was lifted 65 feet up and running for four minutes in 2014. However, there isn’t any evidence of that online outside their website.

Also, athletics have happened from the mines, like soccer games and windsurfing on Subterrain Lake. Some areas could 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 and also the total length of the mine tunnel is 178 miles.

Easy and simple option to the mines could be the tourist route, which allows you to see the beauty of the mine and also the most critical areas of it. The gap is 3.5 kilometres and also the depth you’ll reach is 135 meters.

Most rocks from the mine have a very dull grey look; however, in some 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 selection 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 within a Modern Marvels episode on salt mines.

Inside the Australian television series Spellbinder: Land with the Dragon Lord, the mines were featured since the Land of the Moloch. The mines also have appeared on multiple editions of your reality show; The Amazing Race, The Amazing Race Australia 1 and much more.

10. Breath Healthy Air Within your Visit
The air within the Wieliczka salt mine costs nothing from bacteria, viruses and pollutants. A trip to them can relieve people suffering from respiratory diseases and allergies and in addition it helps cure a hangover.

More details about Salt Mine and Auschwitz tour check this useful web page: click here