salt mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is the only salt mine in the world which has been preserved in a great position. It’s one of the major tourist attractions in Poland, Krakow, registered as one of the World Heritage Sites on the UNESCO list and visited by over a million tourists every year. It used to produce table salt until 2007. Getting to the Salt Mine Salt Mine in Wieliczka is situated around 10 km from the city center of Krakow. You can take the train from the city's central Krakow Glowny rail station, a bus, or one of numerous tour buses which may pick you up from all central located hotels. The Salt Mine The Salt Mine is locate 135 meter underground! Yes, amazing. We had to take some narrow stairs to go all the way down to Level 1. You are advised to wear some comfortable shoes since you’ll descend a wooden 380-step staircase. Ages ago, miners have been carving out chapels and sculptures of Poland's figures. The tour guide told us a lot of interesting stories.  The walls are filled with religious bas-reliefs (relief is a sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material). You'll also see a replica of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” carved into the rock salt. We went on a guided tour, passing through salty galleries and chambers on three levels. During our underground walk we were amazed by the monumental chambers which were joined by 2.5 km of pathways. I was amazed by the Chapel of Saint Kinga, the largest underground chapel in the Wieliczka Salt mine. It’s a church carved in rock salt and embellished with salty sculptures.  Even the chandeliers are made of salt. People suffering from asthma and allergies can visit the Salt Mine’s sanatorium. For more information regarding the medical services visit the Health Resort page.  There’s a souvenir shop and a snack bar at the end of the tour. Thank God, you don’t have to take the stairs again since there’s a lift that will take you back [...]