The Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is located in the Kraków metropolitan region, in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland. The upwelling brine has been used to manufacture sodium chloride (table salt) since Neolithic times. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, which was discovered in the 13th century and is one of the world's oldest operational salt mines, produced table salt continuously until 2007.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an official Polish Historic Monument. The tunnels and labyrinthine pathways, exhibitions of old salt-mining technologies, a subterranean lake, four chapels, and countless statues carved out of rock salt by miners, as well as more recent sculptures by contemporary artists, are among the attractions.

A chapel and reception area are available for special gatherings, such as weddings. The walls of a chamber are carved by miners to look like wood, similar to wooden churches built in the early centuries. The mine's 64-metre (210-foot) level is reached through a wooden stairway. A 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) tour takes visitors through hallways, chapels, statues, and a 135-meter (443-foot) underground lake. Visitors are returned to the surface by an elevator, which holds 36 people and takes around 30 seconds to go.

Location: Wieliczka, Poland