Salt in Poland little guide of Polish salt mines. little guide of Polish salt mines.

The most famous salt mines in Poland.

WIELICZKA

WIELICZKA  In 1978 the Wieliczka Salt Mine was entered on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Visitors take a walk of 2,5 km through 3 levels in the Salt Mine down to 136 meters below ground level, through chambers and passageways excavated in the 17th century. On the way visitors see underground chambers and chapels hewn out in the salt rock, statues of saints sculpted in salt, and saline lakes.

The Legend Salt was discovered in that area in the mid-thirteenth century, in the reign of the Duke of Kraków and Sandomierz, Boleslaus the Chaste, and his wife Kinga. According to the legend, Kinga, daughter of Bela IV, King of Hungary, received as her dowry one of the salt mines in Marmaros. She cast her engagement ring into the mine. Her ring, together with salt deposits, miraculously traveled to Wieliczka. Having arrived in Poland, Kinga ordered to dig in a particular place. Following her order, miners started digging, and in the first block of salt they found her ting. Since then salt has been plentiful in Poland. Kinga, the patroness of miners, was canonised in 1999 by Pope John Paul II.

The mine of Wieliczka… …is enormous

Wieliczka is one of the most beautiful salt mines in the world! St. Kinga’s Chapel

and now some sculpture…  The Janowice Chamber „Last supper” Leonardo da Vinci 

BOCHNIA A little town near Cracow, which is (after Wieliczka), the most famous salt mine in Poland. The Bochnia salt mine was founded in According to a legend the mine was founded by St. Kinga, the daughter of Hungarian King Bela IV. The legend tells us, that St. Kinga had already received a salt mine from his father, which was located in Transylvania and following the medieval customs, she threw her ring into the shaft. Later while she was on her way to Krakow, she rested in Bochnia area and had a dream which encouraged her to dig in the shoemaker's garden. Salt was found from the spot where a small shaft was dug and from the first lump of salt, the ring was discovered, which she had thrown in the Transylvanian mine. Believe the legend or not, but St. Kinga at least has her own portrait in the church of the mine, some 200 meters below the ground level. Also the village of Bochnia and the surrounding area dates from the time when the mine was founded in 1248.

BOCHNIA

Bochnia Outside the mine.

INSIDE THE MINE OF BOCHNIA Some… …tunnels

There are also a lot of sculptures The main theme is christianity…

Ciechocinek In Ciechocinek salt from the wooden graduation towers can be smelt from far away. Salty air with a great amount of iodine makes you feel like on the Baltic coast, although the sea is about 200km from here. Ciechocinek was famous for its subterranean brine springs already in the Middle Ages. In 1235 Duke Konrad of Mazovia granted the Teutonic Order the right to produce salt by evaporating the brine in exchange for 20 barrels of it a year. The Teutonic Knights built two saltworks in Ciechocinek which operated until the end of the 18th century. A new, enormous works was constructed in the mid 19th century and it was the largest factory of its kind in the world. The production techniques in Ciechocinek have not changed for 120 years.

Saline graduation towers in Ciechocinek

Inowrocław Inowrocław is an industrial town known for its saltwater baths and salt mines discovered in 15th century.

Kłodawa Nowadays it is the most important salt deposit in Poland, where the rock salt is mined.

Żory, Rybnik, Zatoka Pucka The other, smaller salt mines in Poland.  Rybnik Zatoka Pucka   Żory