World Heritage #0032 – Wieliczka Salt Mine

Last modified 27.03.2022 | Published 15.07.2010North and Central Europe, Poland, World Heritage Sites

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At the Wieliczka Salt Mine they have been mining rock salt for centuries, and you are invited to a fantastic subterranean world.

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes more than a thousand properties with outstanding universal value. They are all part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

 

Official facts

  • Country: Poland
  • Date of Inscription: 1978
  • Category: Cultural site

UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre’s short description of site no. 32:

“This deposit of rock salt in Wieliczka-Bochnia has been mined since the 13th century. Spread over nine levels, it has 300 km of galleries with works of art, altars, and statues sculpted in the salt, making a fascinating pilgrimage into the past of a major industrial undertaking.”

 

My visit

The Wieliczka Salt Mine outside Krakow is among the world’s oldest, and most spectacular. I knew not much of it before my visit in 2010 but it was extremely fascinating to take the lift deep down and walk even deeper on all the steps and into the great halls. I found it was easy to visit the mines. There are plenty of companies in Krakow which offer half-day trips to the mines.

Read more about my visit.

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