There wa s a time when a visit to a salt mines was not a pleasant experience. It meant hard labor under dreadful conditions. And salt was a precious as gold. It was a valuable commodity that was in high demand. Today at trip to the salt mines is an interesting and educational experience.
Located 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Krakow in Poland the Wieliczka Salt Mines, which date from the 13th century, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The salt mine itself is a unique underground world, consisting of the Muzeum Zup Krakowskich (Kracow Salt Works Museum), a brine lake and several decorated rooms and chapels.
A tour through Wielizka starts with a descent of 327 meters (1062 feet) into the depths of the mine. Rock salt was mined here from the middle ages until 1996 as a result there are nine levels to explore and over 300 kilometers (185 miles) of galleries. Of course the two and half hour tour only takes you through a small portion of the mine, 22 chambers totaling 2 kilometers (1.25 miles). The temperature in the mine is a constant 14C (57F).
The various chambers in the mine are decorated with salt carvings, made by the miners in their spare time. Life size salt sculptures of kings and religious sculptures adorn the walls of the mine. There are two major chapels, the Chapel of St. Antony, where the miners would pray before the start of their shifts and the magnificent Chapel of the Blessed Kinga, which is lit by salt chandeliers and adorned with religious carvings, sculptures and wall carvings.
St. Kinga’s Chapel is the largest and most significant of the rooms in the mine. Described as a “most impressive and opulent underground temple,” St. Kinga’s is filled with rock salt monuments that are as finely craved as any stone monuments you would find in the medieval churches of Europe. Some of Poland’s best salt sculptors have helped decorate the Chapel. The Chapel is fairly young by the salt mine standards. It was laid out in 1896. From then until recent years, the salt sculptors have been working on the Chapel.
The most elaborate and decorative feature are the chandeliers with salt crystals. The three parts of the high alter are all made from salt are figures of St. Kinga, Jesus and the Madona and Child, God the Father and Pope John Paul II. There are several reliefs including the “Flight into Egypt” and “The Last Supper.”
The Salt Works museum educates visitors on what life in the salt mines was really like by demonstrating how salt was mine. There was an underground stable where the horses that pulled the salt carts spend their entire lives, never leaving to see daylight.
A visit to the Wieliczka salt mine takes you back to a time when salt was a valuable currency and working conditions in any mine were harsh for man and beast. It makes one much more appreciative of the salt we find on our dinner table and grateful that we don’t have to work in the salt mine.
