There is a salt mine near Krakow, Poland that has been used since the 13th century. It is called the Wieliczka Salt Mine and has dazzled people for many, many years. It was recognized as a UNESCO heritage site in 1978.
UNESCO means United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The mine produced salt until the late 1990s. It was one of the biggest businesses in Europe as food preservation gained popularity. Salt is a key ingredient for safe food preservation.
Now it is one of Poland’s most popular tourist attractions. Over one million visitors come here every year. The entire mine is over 178 miles long, but visitors only get to see about two miles of this complex and gorgeous place. There are 350 steps that take you down into the mine and around 800 total steps that you can take to walk around.
The tourist attraction contains various rooms and artwork, some of which was created by miners in days gone past. Some of the artwork is newer. There is also a chapel, a lake, a grotto and huge salt chandeliers. There is also a health resort inside. You can get massages and other treatments and even be checked out by a doctor to find out how the salt can help you.
The salted air is said to be beneficial for those with respiratory issues. You can stay overnight in the salt caves too. It sounds pretty peaceful because there are no allergens, bacteria, fungi or electromagnetic radiation due to all of the salt.
You can also take different tours. There is a tourist tour, a miners tour where you can pretend you are a real miner, and a pilgrims route for the more religious visitor.
Would you want to visit these salt mines? Could you see yourself staying the night in a salt cave? It looks very beautiful and old school, but do you think you could walk all of those stairs and be underground?
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