As a part of my first trip to Poland while I was doing research about the origins of my father’s family from Zyrardow, Poland; I took a side trip to visit the fabulous city of Krakow, Poland. Considered to be one of the oldest operating salt mines in the world, it has been mining salt since the 13th century. What makes this UNESCO World Heritage site mine so special? It is the incredible underground caverns that have been carved out of rock salt and the rock salt mine itself. Transformed from basic rock salt into many items that include statues, chandeliers, chapels, fantasy figurines, etc. You travel down and down to about 450 feet below the surface and with a guided tour of some of the 150 miles of passageways. There are exhibits of how the rock salt was extracted from the mine and just tributes to people who influenced the history of Poland.
Then there a several underground lakes that make the whole voyage even more interesting. It seems that many of the miners would spend their free time creating this wonderland and they sure were a talented bunch of people! No worries as at the end of the tour, it is a quick elevator ride back to the top. It is definitely worth the side trip from Krakow to explore this one of kind Salt Mine Wonderland!
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