Jumping with a parachute, bungee-jumping, fast car drive don`t compare to what you can experience while…being in a salt-mine. You probably don`t believe that? You`ve surely never been in Wieliczka Salt Mine.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is the place well-known on the whole world. Every year more than one million of tourists come to Poland to see one of its most beautiful and legendary treasures. The most famous historical people as Goethe, Nickolaus Copernicus, Emperor Franz Josef, Boleslaw Prus, pope Jan Paul II, Bill Clinton were totally impressed when seeing the mine. The charm and almost magic atmosphere in Wieliczka can give you chills when experiencing it…135 metres underground.
Wieliczka is the only salt mine in the world preserved in such good condition. The deposit of rock salt in Wieliczka has been mined since the 13th century (according to some sources it was even 11th century). It has nine levels and the lowest one goes down to a depth of 327 metres (although tourists tour starts at 65 metre and goes only to 135 metre). Since 1978 Wieliczka Salt Mine is on the UNESCO`s World Heritage List. The numerous pieces of art as altars and statues sculpted in salt needed a costly protection before the humidity and thanks to the help of UNESCO such equipment was installed in the mine.
There are many reasons why Wieliczka is such unique place. It shows a great history of mining due to the conservation of the old galleries and the exhibition of tools used. It gives over two kilometres walk to see all the attractions of the mine. It passes through 20 caves, many of them adorned with sculptures the miners made. Amazingly it is very clean. The walls are sparkling if you hold a light to it. The gangways are held upright by complex wooden structures. The most impressive place is the Underground Cathedral - the wall decorations as The Last Supper, the altar, statues, and even floor and ceiling all are made of salt. The creators were three miners who were spending their spare time this way. It took 68 years of work.

Wieliczka has even got it`s own legend. It`s about Hungarian princes Kinga who was about to marry polish king Boleslaw. The saint Kinga was willing to give a special present to her fiance and her new nation. Before she came to Poland and got married she was given one of the salt mines in Hungary as part of her dowry. She dreamt that salt would be discovered in Poland. So she threw her engagement ring into the mine and prayed for that. When she arrived in Poland miners miraculously found a block of salt and Kinga`s ring in a place shown by a princess. It was a beginning of a great prosperity for Poland.
If you are interested in experiencing something amazing, see the history of mining, feel the atmosphere of one of the oldest salt mines in the world, breath the healthy air, or send a postcard to a friend from 135 metres underground just book in one of cheap flights to Poland and take Wieliczka Salt Mine tour. It might be a great occasion to see also the historical town Krakow and be a trip to Auschwitz.