History

Wieliczka salt mine is one of the most visited underground tourist attractions in the world. It is a place where salt has been mined for 700 years, and now attracts tourists from all over the world to admire the magnificent chambers carved in rock salt, salt lakes, or chapels carved in salt.
The temperature in the mine is around 17-18 degrees, regardless of whether it is frost or hot outside.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the world’s oldest rock salt mines. It is also, next to Wawel Castle, Poland’s most globally recognized tourist product. The crystals hidden from human sight in the Crystal Grottoes are large and beautiful, unique in the world. The Wieliczka Salt Mine’s rich history and nearly 700-year heritage has been recognized as a special asset and has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1978.
Located only 13km southeast of Kraków’s centre, Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of Poland’s most beautiful places.

The entrance chamber in Wieliczka Salt Mine is a dark and cool shaft more than 100 metres long, where visitors descend almost 400 steps to reach level 1 of the mine, the starting point of a tour that takes them through impressive chambers cut deep into the rock. The temperature in the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a constant 14 degrees Celsius, with the pleasant taste of natural salt lingering in the cool and refreshing air throughout the tour.

In Wieliczka Salt Mine there is about 245 km of hollowed underground corridors of which the Tourist Route open to visitors is less than 3.5 km. Covering such a stretch takes an average of 2-3 hours, and underground you can admire the salt lakes and beautiful underground chambers, including the unique Chapel of St. Kinga. Along the route during visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine you can also see ancient mining tools and machinery. You can also learn about the salt mining and transportation methods used in the past.
All this at a depth of 64 to 135 metres underground.