La
miniera di sale di Wieliczka, situata nella città di
Wieliczka, nell'
Area metropolitana di
Cracovia, in
Polonia, è in servizio dal
XIII secolo, ed è tuttora utilizzata per l'estrazione del
sale. È una delle più antiche miniere di sale ancora operative al mondo (la più antica in assoluto si trova a
Bochnia, sempre in Polonia, a 20
km da Wieliczka).
La miniera raggiunge profondità di 327 metri, e presenta gallerie e cunicoli per un'estensione totale di più di 300 km.
La miniera di sale di Wieliczka ha 3,5 km disponibili per le visite turistiche (meno dell'1% della lunghezza totale delle gallerie), che includono statue di figure storiche e mitiche, tutte scolpite dal minatori direttamente nel
sale. Anche i
cristalli dei candelieri sono stati forgiati nel sale. La miniera presenta anche stanze decorate, cappelle e laghi sotterranei, e mostra la storia della miniera. Quella di Wieliczka è comunemente detta "la cattedrale di sale sotterranea della
Polonia", ed è visitata ogni anno da circa 800.000 persone.
Nel corso dei secoli, molte personalità hanno visitato queste miniere, tra cui
Niccolò Copernico,
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
Alexander von Humboldt,
Dmitrij Mendeleev,
Bolesław Prus,
Ignacy Paderewski,
Robert Baden-Powell,
Jacob Bronowski (che girò alcune scene di
The Ascent of Man nella miniera), Karol Wojtyła (futuro
Papa Giovanni Paolo II), l'ex
Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America Bill Clinton, e altre teste coronate.
Durante la
seconda guerra mondiale, la miniera fu utilizzata dalle truppe di occupazione
tedesche per impianti di produzione bellici.
Nel
1978 la miniera di sale di Wieliczka è stata iscritta nella lista dell'
UNESCO dei
Patrimoni dell'umanità, mentre nel
2013 il sito è stato allargato alla
Miniera di sale di Bochnia.
Fonte: WikipediaThe
Wieliczka Salt Mine (
Polish:
Kopalnia soli Wieliczka), located in the town of
Wieliczka in southern
Poland, lies within the
Kraków metropolitan area. The
mine, built in the 13th century, produced
table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest
salt mines still in operation. From its beginning and throughout its existence, the Royal mine was run by the
Żupy krakowskie Salt Mines. Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding.The mine's attractions include dozens of
statues, three chapels and an entire
cathedral that has been carved out of the
rock salt by the miners. The oldest sculptures are augmented by the new carvings by contemporary artists. About 1.2 million people visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually.
The Wieliczka salt mine reaches a depth of 327 metres (1,073 ft) and is over 287 kilometres (178 mi) long. The rock salt is naturally gray in various shades, resembling unpolished granite rather than the white or crystalline look that many visitors may expect. During
World War II, the shafts were used by the occupying Germans as an ad-hoc facility for various war-related industries. The mine features an underground lake; and the new exhibits on the history of salt mining, as well as a 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) touring route (less than 2% of the length of the mine's passages) that includes historic statues and mythical figures carved out of
rock salt in distant past. More recent sculptures have been fashioned by contemporary artists.
The Wieliczka mine is often referred to as "the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland." In 1978 it was placed on the original
UNESCO list of the
World Heritage Sites. Even the crystals of the
chandeliers are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a clear, glass-like appearance. It also houses a private rehabilitation and wellness complex. Also the Wieliczka was one of World 12 Tourism rankings.There is a legend about
Princess Kinga, associated with the Wieliczka mine. The Hungarian noblewoman was about to be married to
Bolesław V the Chaste, the
Prince of Kraków. As part of her dowry, she asked her father for a lump of salt, since salt was prizeworthy in Poland. Her father
King Béla took her to a salt mine in Máramaros. She threw her engagement ring from Bolesław in one of the shafts before leaving for Poland. On arriving in Kraków, she asked the miners to dig a deep pit until they come upon a rock. The people found a lump of salt in there and when they split it in two, discovered the princess's ring. Kinga had thus become the patron saint of salt miners in and around the Polish capital.
Source: Wikipedia
