Poland: Wieliczka Salt Mine

Our Europe trip isn't over yet!  We still had a few hours to kill on Saturday morning before our flight left for Japan.  We decided to do something truly touristy... just don't tell our boss that we had so much spare time!!

We thought about going to Auschwitz, the former concentration camp that is nearby, but we weren't quite up for such a depressing event and we heard it's more of a full-day experience.  Instead, we settled on the historical Wieliczka Salt Mine!

Wieliczka Salt Mine was in operation for over 900 years and claims to be the biggest & most profitable industrial establishment ever.  Back in the day, salt was the medieval equivalent to today's oil industry!

The Krakow area of Poland used to be part of the sea.  When the water receded, it left rich and vast deposits of pure salt.  The Wieliczka mine was in operation from the 13th century to 1996.  It closed due to low salt prices and floods in the mine.

Here are authentic sculptures made purely from salt.  All of the works we saw were done by professional miners over the past several hundred years, not professional artists!!

This is what happens when there is moisture in the mine: it turns into cauliflower-like salt deposits.  This is caused by a water leak and is one of the reason why mining was discontinued in 1996.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is made up of 2,040 caverns, is over 300 kilometers long, and is 327 meters deep.

The 2-hour tour consisted of descending 378 steps to a depth of 135 meters, and then a 3.5 kilometer walking trail.  (That means less than 1% of the entire mine is open to the public!) 

Here is our tour guide who gave us all of these brilliant facts. 

Horses were even used to help run the mining apparatuses!  Once a horse descending into the mine, it stayed there for the remainder of it's life.  Even though the mining ended in 1996, the last horse lived in the mine stables until 2002! 

Here is a dimly lit salt staircase.  I am thankful they also built a wooden staircase next to it for visitors!!  They used only wood in the construction underground because wood absorbs the salt and becomes harder than steel!

Old mining shaft.

A ladder leading up to another mining shaft.  Ladders were much more popular and less dangerous than the salt staircases.

One of the underground chapels.  The miners got together every day to pray because it was such dangerous work that they needed God's protection.

The most impressive Chapel of Saint Kinga, not surprisingly this is the world's largest underground chapel, and it entirely made out of salt from the staircases, railings, sculptures, and even to the chandeliers!! 

The Chapel of Saint Kinga is a very prestigious wedding spot in Poland.

Keep in mind this entire thing was created by the miners!!

Salt railing that looks and feels like granite.  (Unless, of course, you licked it, and that was completely acceptable if you were in doubt.)

The Last Supper based off of Da Vinci's masterpiece.  Still blows my mind that the creators were miners by day and did this for a hobby at night when they were done working!!

The floor was one of my favorites... you would have never guessed it was pure salt!!

I told you they loved their Pope John Paul II!

 

Kerri getting ready to leave the mine and leave Europe for good!