Attraction Review: Wieliczka Salt Mine, Wieliczka, Poland
- Megan Connor
- Jul 12, 2017
- 4 min read
I visited Wieliczka Salt Mine in January, as a part of a dual-attraction tour that I booked on Viator. The first stop on this tour was Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Jewish war camp memorial and museum. I have an entire blog post on my experience at this attraction, if you are interested in reading it, you can find it under the 'review' category on my blog.
There are two tour options at the Salt Mine; the Tourist Route and the Miner's Route. The Miner's Route allows you to experience a day in the life of a miner. On this route you will dig salt and transport it through the mine on a pathway that you plan yourself. You will also learn hoe to measure the concentration of methane gas in the salt mine's chambers, as well as exploring chambers that the tourist route do not get to see. You will also be able to take part in traditional miner's rituals. The Tourist Route begins with a descent down 350 stairs to the first of 20 chambers that you will enter along this route. To reach these chambers you will travel through passageways. Along the way you will learn about the legend of Princess Kinga and see her story depicted in salt, carved into the walls of the mine. You will learn about the structure of he mine and see the timber support beams with your own eyes. You will also learn about different stages of salt crystalisation and pass over a saline lake. Lastly, you will be taken to St Kinga's Chapel, a chamber in the mine. Religion is very important in the Polish mining industry and you will see many chapels as you pass through the chambers, however none are as impressive as St Kinga's.
I took the tourist route, purely so that I could see St Kinga's Chapel for myself. I had seen pictures of it before but I felt that it would be even more spectacular to see it in person and I was not disappointed when I did. However, there was much more to see before we reached this beautiful chapel.
We first descended into the mine where we entered the first couple of chambers. It was here that we learned how the mine is ventilated through the use of airtight doors, and first tasted the salt from the walls of the mine. The walls of the chamber were smooth to the touch in some places and slightly jagged in others, no doubt the outcome of chiseling. Moving forward through the mine, we were taught about the mechanisms within the mine, how they work and what they do. Our guide told us about methane and how it can cause fires in the mine before leading us down another passage to the next chamber. She taught us how important religion is to the miners in the Polish mining industry, and told us the legend of Princess Kinga. It is said that she gifted the Polish people with the salt beneath their earth, so that they could become wealthy. Halfway through the tour, we reached a chamber which had been converted into a gift shop and refreshment area. It was here that, after a short break, we learned about the support beams which keep the mine structurally sound. These beams are bright white in colour and each one has it's own place in a series of intricate designs which are incredible to see.
We saw some incredible things along the way. We passed a saline lake which was turquoise in colour and that sank deep down into the mine. We followed the flow of the saline water through glass panels in the floor and watched it filter out into the lake. The tour guide showed my tour group how salt crystalised in many different forms. The thing I remember most is how amazed I was to see how much they cad created out of salt within the mine. There were stairs, objects, floor tiles and intricate images carved out of salt.
All of these elements were incorporated into the creation of St Kinga's Chapel. There are scenes depicting religious figures and stories carved into the walls, a salt-stone floor chiseled into hexagonal tiles, salt-stone stairs leading down to the chapel itself and chandeliers created entirely of salt crystals. It is without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever been.
I would highly recommend visiting this attraction. It is well worth it if you are a short drive away and are able to book a tour. If it is your first time, I would suggest booking the Tourist Route so that you can see St Kinga's Chapel for yourself, pictures cannot do it justice. However, should I return I would definitely consider booking the Miner's Route. My tour guide assured me that it is a lot of fun, although hard work. I would be interested to see what else I can learn on this route and would happily get my hands dirty in the process.
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