The beginnings of Wieliczka are much earlier than the legends. The first mining activity in the region dates back to the Neolithic period, around the year 3,500 BC. Over the centuries Wieliczka developed into a profitable business. In the Middle Ages salt was a very expensive commodity. It was used not only for seasoning food but was also the main food-preserving agent. In the 14th century the income from the mine constituted a third of state treasury income and profits from it financed the establishment of Kraków's Jagiellonian University. No wonder Wieliczka was called Magnum Sal (The Great Salt) in those days.

"The historic Salt Mine in Wieliczka is the only mining site in the world functioning continuously since the Middle Ages. Lying on nine levels, its original excavations (longitudinals, traverses, chambers, lakes, as well as minor and major shafts) stretch for the total of about 300 kilometres: reaching the depth of 327 metres they illustrate all the stages of mining technology development over time."

The quotation comes from the justification for entering the Wieliczka Salt Mine on UNESCO's First World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage, 8th September, 1978 together with 11 other sites from around the world.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine has been in continuous operation since the 13th century, and still produces table salt. It is one of the world's oldest operating salt mines. The mine reaches down to a depth of 327 meters, and is over 300 km long. It is justly referred to as "the underground salt cathedral of Poland."

Over the centuries, visitors to this site have included Nicolaus Copernicus, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Dmitri Mendeleyev, Bolesław Prus, Ignacy Paderewski, Karol Wojtyła, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and crowned heads. Today the underground tourist route is visited by over 1,000,000 tourists a year.

Click the picture to learn more about the mine.

St. Kinga's Chapel in the Salt Mine