Wieliczka Salt Mine
The 13th-century Wieliczka Salt Mine is as important to the locals today as it was hundreds of years ago, but for a completely different reason. It was one of the world's oldest and longest-running salt mines until 1996, when it ceased commercial operations and became an artistic attraction.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine now houses four chapels, corridors, and statues carved into the rock salt walls. The original shafts and passageways of the mine, some as deep as 327 meters underground, have been reopened, allowing visitors to explore pits and chambers while walking past statues and alongside stunning architectural marvels. An underground lake glistens against the candlelit walls deep within the mine.
The Chapel of St. Kinga, a 12-meter-high chamber where everything — including the elaborate chandeliers and furniture — is made of salt, is the mine's main tourist attraction. The journey continues to the Erazm Baracz Chamber, where you'll discover a lake saltier than the Dead Sea, and concludes at a museum that explains salt mining and life in the mines.
- Official site: https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/
- Location: Jana Mikołaja Daniłowicza 10, 32-020 Wieliczka, Poland
