Wieliczka Salt Mine

This time last year I visited a good friend of mine in Warsaw. For a change of scenery, we decided to spend a weekend in Krakow, staying in a lovely boutique hotel in the Jewish quarter. Having explored the many sights of the historical town the day before, the next day we took a short drive to Wieliczka salt mine (just Southeast of Krakow) for a pre-booked two-hour tour of the mine which was built at the turn of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The Tourist Route consists of mining workings located from level I (64m deep) to level III (135m deep). It includes chambers, chapels, underground saline lakes, galleries, and passages between levels covering a total length of about 2km. However, this depicts a very small part of the mine as the route only covers 1% of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

In the galleries and chambers along the route there are preserved traces of old mining works, systems, and beautifully made sacral art objects, including the most beautiful of them, St Kinga’s Chapel. The walls, ceiling, floor, statues, artwork, and steps leading down to the Chapel are all sculpted from salt. The chamber is approximately 12m high, 18m wide and 54m long and took 67 years to complete. The chandeliers, also crafted from salt crystals, cast a warm glow and gave a magical feel. Highlights of the chamber were: The Last Supper bas-relief which is 22cm at its depth; the altar that holds the statue of St Kinga (the patron saint of salt miners) in the central part; and in 1999 a statue of the Polish Pope, John Paul II, was added, which is the only salt statue in the world that depicts the Pope.

The tour was a fascinating experience that I cannot recommend enough if ever you are visiting the area. Top tip … wear comfortable, non-slip, footwear and take a jumper/jacket with you as the temperature underground can fall to a chilly 14-16 degrees.