WIELICZKA SALT MINE – Alajournal

Wieliczka arose as a settlement where salt was mined. I have read there was evidence of salt works here as early as appr. 3500 B.C. For sure salt was already mined here when the Polish state was created in the 10^th century A. D. However salt springs were exhausted in the middle of the 13^th century and search for new sources began. Rock salt deposits were discovered. According to a legend the discovery of salt here is connected with St. Kinga.

Wieliczka was originally called Magnum Sal. In 1290 it got priviledges of a town.

Wieliczka Salt Mine is very old and very huge. It belongs to the oldest and the most well known salt mines of the world. It consists of 2,000 excavated chambers, some of them really huge, looking like vast salt caves. The oldest part of the mine has been turned into an unique museum which we are about to visit. Walking appr. 3.5 km, even deeper than 100 m under the surface, we will see 20 of those chambers chizeled out in rock salt during our tour. Many of them were even turned into beautiful chapels.

Danilowicz Shaft – through this shaft building tourists enter the underground of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I took this photo after finishing our tour of the mine and there are not as many people waiting to get inside as there were when we came. We queued for a long time but seeing the amazing salt mine war worth it

The tour starts by descending 380 wooden steps, divided in many uniform shorter flights and we just monotonously go down and down, in many uniform squares. Thus you we the depth of 64 m. Then we walk along rock salt corridors, rock salt steps and through various rock salt chambers. Beautiful statues decorate many of them. We can even admire saline lakes.

Everything you see was carved out of salt. Salt statues and carvings in the whole mine are admirable. This carving represents St. Kinga of Poland (1224-1292) – the patron saint of salt miners. St. Kinga is also known as Kunegunda or Cunegunda. She is also the patron saint of Poland. Here she is depicted as she is presented a lump of rock salt containing her gold ring from a miner. You can read the legend about Kinga a little bit lower, under the photos from her chapel

The most magnificent of all chambers we can see today – St. Kinga Chapel – takes our breath away. You are stunned when you first stand in the upper part of it and you take in the sight. Descending to its floor you notice the decorations carved out of rock salt. Lit chandeliers made of salt, too, look as if they were made of crystal. To say that this chapel looks brilliant is no eggageration.

St. Kinga´s Chapel takes your breath away. It is in the depth of 101 m undergroung. I am surprised to see so huge space at this depth. This is the heart of our route and the heart of this mine. This is the most magnificent of all 20 chambers which we are able to visit here as tourists

Beautiful chandeliers look like crystal chandeliers – but they are carved out of salt as everything else here. Descending downstairs you notice the statues and bas reliefs – all of them carved out of salt, too

St. Kinga Altar is carved out of salt as well as the chandelier and everything else. Remember that we are 101 meters deep under the ground. The altar statue of St. Kinga is carved entirely of salt and it is standing at the very spot where her gold ring, that she had thrown in a salt mine in Hungary, was rediscovered

Princess Kinga was the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary. She married the future King Boleslaw V (the Chaste) of Poland at the age of 16. According to the legend, when she was due to leave Hungary before her wedding, she threw her gold ring into a salt mine there. She was bringing salt from her home to Poland as a present, as Poland had no salt. Following her wedding in Krakow she went to Wieliczka and she ordered a well to be dug there. At the depth of 101 meters the diggers came across a rock salt stone miraculously containing the very same gold ring Kinga had thrown into the Hungarian salt mine. Thus salt deposits were discovered in Wieliczka and the miners presented the rock salt lump containing Kinga´s ring to her.

Krásne podzemné soľné jazierko. Je ich tu niekoľko, avšak niektoré sú veľmi malilinké

Almost at the end of the salt mine tour you reach this restaurant. As visitors might have a long waiting time at the entry behind them and as they have made approximately 800 steps by now, it is no wonder, they are interested in some refreshment. This restaurant is located in one of the chambers of this salt mine. Eating a schnitzel in the depth of 125 m underground makes me wonder, if this is the deepest place I have had a meal. I believe the answer is yes

The Chapel of St. John. Here you can see wooden parts in the interior, which is a rare case in this mine. It is due to the fact that in 1743 the use of timber was prohibited here as a precaution against fire

What we saw was amazing, don´t you think so? And we just saw 1 % of the mine itself!