WIELICZKA SALT MINES

The Wieliczka-Bochnia rock salt deposit has been in existence since the 13th century. The extraction of "white gold", a block of salt worth several years of crops of a large estate, was one of the main sources of wealth of the Polish kings, allowing, among other things, the construction of the Jagiellonian University. A wooden staircase will lead you to a depth of 64 meters. Only the first three levels, located between 64 and 135 meters deep, can be visited. A section of about 3 kilometers allows you to walk through the different tunnels that connect the rooms. Sculptures, bas-reliefs, artificial salt lakes and shafts await the visitor. The unvisited part of the mine, entirely underground, is much larger and extends over 9 levels for a total of 300 kilometers of galleries, the deepest of which reaches 327 meters.

The visit allows to see underground lakes, galleries, and especially a chapel cut in the salt, that of the blessed Kinga (Kaplica Blogoslawionej Kingi), whose legend will be told to you. The galleries that can be visited were drilled by hand between the 17th and 19th centuries. During the visit you will pass through several thematic rooms: Nicholas Copernicus, the Dwarfs' Cave, legends and chapels decorated with hand-carved statues. The chapel of St. Kinga, patron saint of miners, is undoubtedly the highlight of the visit. Excavated between 1895 and 1927, this incredible underground cathedral of 54 meters long and 12 meters high is decorated with salt crystal chandeliers and numerous bas-reliefs and sculpted altars. The finesse of the sculptures is remarkable. This incredible work required the extraction of 20,000 tons of salt blocks. Its exceptional acoustics allow the organization of concerts. Renowned for its microclimate, the mine has a sanatorium to treat respiratory diseases, located at a depth of 211 meters.

In addition to the classic tour, there is also the "mining tour", a real expedition in which visitors, accompanied by a guide and dressed and equipped as miners, descend into the mine through the Regis shaft, the oldest of the existing shafts.

The visit is exhausting and you don't really enjoy it, squeezed between two groups in a small tunnel for 3 hours. For a truly authentic experience, go to mass in the main chapel every Sunday.