We arrived here after about 45 minutes – 1 hour journey from Krakow.
If you want to come to the Wieliczka Salt mines, which I think is a must-see, book in advance or go as included in a local tour as we came. Otherwise, you can wait for hours in line in front of the ticket office.. Entrance ticket is 70 zloty per person, we paid 100 zloty per person, including transportation and guide service.
The history of this mine dates back 20 million years.. Many years ago, this place was under the sea, it comes to the surface with tectonic movements over time.. Rock salt has been extracted from here for 700 years since the 13th century.. The salt rate here is 30%.. 300 g in 9 liters of water. there is salt. This rate is slightly lower than our Salt Lake and the Lut Lake on the border of Israel and Jordan.. The salt rate in Salt Lake is 32.9% and the salt rate in the Dead Sea is 35%.
Wieliczka Salt Mines were taken under protection by UNESCO in 1978. One of the oldest operating salt mines in the world. The oldest is the smaller Veckihya salt mine in the Bochnia region, 20 km from Wieliczka, also in Poland.. The Wieliczka salt mine was closed in 1996 due to low salt prices and flooding.. Now in the mine there are figures of historical people and clergy made only of rock salt.. Those who worked in the mines made the ancient artifacts themselves.. But the new ones are now made by contemporary artists.
A general warning: it is not recommended for those with asthma.. Here, salt is mined at least 64 meters and at most 314 meters below the ground.. We will go down with the stairs, but our exit will be with the elevator.. By the way, screaming in the elevator is free, the elevator goes up 4 meters per second.
There are 2 chapels inside the salt mine.. Wedding organizations are also held here.
The total length of the tunnels inside the salt mines is 300 km.. around. Its depth is 327 meters.. But we will only visit 2% of the area.. It is strictly forbidden to light fires and smoke inside. There are wooden supports to prevent the tunnels from collapsing. They are made of wood because if it is metal, it rusts very easily. Every day, 15,000 tons of rock salt is extracted from here.. Now it has stopped, but there are still 230 workers inside.
We went down the stairs.. It’s getting colder inside. The first to greet us is the sun goddess Copernica.. 7,000 – 14.000 tourists come here per month.
The other artifact we saw after Copernica is the salt sculpture describing the marriage proposal of the Polish king to the Hungarian queen.. On her knees she hands the queen a ring. They use it as a symbol that we see many rings made of salt when we go out.
They only employ men because it is dangerous in this mine.. In fact, 10% of those working in this mine have died in the mine until today.. They use horses for transportation, but some horses can have a heart attack and die due to the humidity.
Salt stalactites have formed inside the tunnels.. Here they call these stalactites spaghetti. The statue of King Kazimierz stands before us in all its majesty.
We always use the wooden stairs when we descend.. But in his period, salt stairs were used.. Since the stairs were slipping from the moisture, this would cause injuries on condition that one of them overturned the other by creating a domino effect.. The statues of the seven dwarfs made of salt are impressive.
We go down to 120 meters underground. There’s the main church here and it’s picking up the phone. Here it is so impressive. An average of 20 weddings a month are held in this chapel.. The most important factor for the wedding offenders to choose this place is that salt symbolizes loyalty.. Even the chandeliers here are made of salt. Although the sculptures made of salt appear gray in color, they shine brightly when lighted from behind.
The ground looks granite, but the ground is essentially salt.. They showed it as if it was furnished by giving shapes on salt.
The first statues here were made by the miner Antonia. The donkey’s walk in his first sculpture is like a camel’s walk.. Wrong, but they left it that way on purpose. Da Vinci’s Last Supper is among those sculpted here. They made the statue of the Pope in 2 parts and then put them together.
After this, we pass to the salt lake 6 meters deep.. Lots of people here tossing coins and making wishes.. Thrown coins barely sink into the water with the effect of buoyancy.. It’s almost impossible to sink in this water. But even here in the old days there was drowning. actually an interesting story. They were suffocated not by water but by suffocation.. Nazi officers and their wives had fun in the boat here.. No matter how they stomped, the boat turned upside down, and the remaining 7 people died of suffocation.. Currently, rock salt is not extracted from here, but still 15,000 tons of salt water is extracted daily, and 230 employees still working in the mine are responsible for this.
There is also a spa center here, especially for children with bronchitis.. Because salt ionizes the body.. As we walk towards the elevators, we pass through a lobby where various concerts are organized.. Here, a Dia show, which tells the history of Wieliczka, is also held.
We pass to a separate salt lake and the area surrounding it.. Classical music is broadcast here. The environment is dim, but the harmony of light shows and music transports you to other worlds.. After here, the ceiling of the area we pass is a very high, wide area.. There are stands where you can buy small meals and drinks.. 2nd. During World War II, they thought of using this place for helicopter construction.. I think they thought the first thing that came to my mind, this incident is left in thought.. “Let’s make the helicopter here. How do you get it out? Now this brat won’t fit in the elevator!” But the main feature of this place is that it is the first place to do bungee jumping indoors.. I said the ceiling is high. It’s our turn, we took the elevator. really fast. Screaming is free!
Krakow is a very cheap city in terms of accommodation.. Offering service in the very center of Kraków Old Town, Aparthotel Stare Miasto is one of the beautiful hotels located only 120 meters from the Main Market Square.. The hotel is located 900 meters from the Wawel Castle and there are many restaurants and cafes in the surrounding area.. Krakow Główny Train Station and Galeria Krakowska Shopping Center are also approximately 1.5 km away. As an alternative to this hotel, you can consider Hotel Ibis Krakow Centrum, located on the banks of the Vistula River, a 10-minute walk from Kraków’s Main Market Square. If you want to stay in this cheap city even cheaper, I can say Hotel Alexander, which does not even reach 3 digits per night, is the quality and cheap hotel you are looking for.. Located close to the Old Town, the hotel is surrounded by entertainment venues and shopping spots.. In addition to these hotels, you can also browse and book other Krakow hotels by going to booking.com.