|
| |
|
WIELICZKA |
| |
|
|
| |
Fifteen kilometres southeast of Kraków is the salt mine at WIELICZKA
(Kopalnia Soli "Wieliczka"), a unique phenomenon described by one
eighteenth-century visitor as being "as remarkable as the Pyramids and
more useful". Today it's listed among UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage
monuments. Salt deposits were discovered here as far back as the
eleventh century, and from King Kazimierz's time onwards, local mining
rights, and hence income, were strictly controlled by the Crown. As
mining intensified over the centuries, a huge network of pitfaces, rooms
and tunnels proliferated - nine levels in all, extending to a depth of
327m with approximately 300km of tunnels stretching over an area some
10km wide. The future of the mine became uncertain following a serious
bout of flooding in September 1992, when a huge river of water began
pouring into the complex through an abandoned mine passageway some 170m
underground. The town of Wieliczka, much of which is built over the
mines, was also badly affected: walls collapsed, cracks appeared in the
fabric of the local monastery, and the train tracks running through the
centre of town shifted, causing Kraków-Wieliczka train services to be
suspended (they didn't start up again until the middle of 2001). With
the site made safe again, scaled-down mining continues today, and
there's a sanatorium 200m down to exploit the supposedly healthy saline
atmosphere. The mines are popular with Polish and foreign tourists, so
be prepared for crowds in summer.
Privately owned minibuses run direct to Wieliczka salt mine from outside
Kraków train station - although departures may depend on how many
tourists are around. Otherwise, you can take a local Kraków-Wieliczka
train - there are plenty of them - which will drop you off a little way
from the mine, but it isn't difficult to locate the pit's solitary
chimney and squeaky conveyor belt; follow the "Muzeum" signs.
|
| |
|
