The Wieliczka Salt Mines is a place you must see. It transports you to a mysterious world of salt beneath the earth’s surface. There are hundreds of kilometres of tunnels with underground chapels, works of art and statues carved in salt, creating a fascinating journey into the past.
Far, far away, behind mountains, forests and seven valleys lies a kingdom nine levels deep underground, carved out of a block of salt. Breathtaking cathedrals, underground chambers, petrified kings and princesses are not only found in the legends described in Tolkien’s novels. This place was not built by elves or decorated with dwarven gold, but made by the human hands of hymen miners. Endless corridors, labyrinths and salt lakes bring more than one story to life. As a child, you will be enchanted by the magic of this place, which has never known the warmth of the sun’s rays. This is not a fairy tale, but a tangible trace hidden sixty-four metres underground, hidden from the world, full of secrets and legends. – De Zeemeermin
How did it begin? (The legend of Saint Kinga)
Once upon a time in a Hungarian kingdom was a princess named Kinga… Before we start… What kind of “happily ever after” tale you want here? About princesses who behaved like ladies, wearing beautiful dresses and always waiting for a handsome prince to come and save them if even they didn’t need it. And ofcourse they fell in love with their saviours without knowing or seeing them. Or do you want the real one which has little to do with romanticism, and the marriage has mostly the political nature to bind two families for their powers.
In fact the real princess Kinga acted like a wise princess. It was not without reason that she also became a saint but first from the beginning.
The tale of Saint Kinga is as old as the mine itself. A long time ago the Polish prince Bolesław the Chaste (Chroby in polish) proposed his chosen one, the Hungarian princess Kinga. As an engagement gift, he gave Kinga a beautiful ring. When the princess left her homeland for Poland, her father, King Bela IV, wanted to offer his daughter an appropriate dowry. Kinga wanted neither jewels nor retinue of servant. She wanted to mean something to her new folk other than just looking pretty. She asked her father for salt, which was a rarity at the time (also named ‘white gold’). And so the king gave his daughter the richest mine in Transylvania, Prajda. But this gift did not satisfy Kinga, as the mine was too far from her new kingdom. Before leaving for Poland, she visited the mine she had been given, and contemplated how to transport the salt to Poland. During this visit, she tossed her engagement ring into one of the shafts while praying. When Kinga arrived in Boleslaw’s kingdom, she set off on tour around the kingdom. While visiting a small village near Kraków, a lump of salt was found in the field. Believe me or not, in a magic way, inside the lump was a ring- the same one the princess had thrown int the shafts in Prajda. After this the royal couple commanded digging to begin at this location, and discovered more valuable raw material underground. This was just the beginning of the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
There’s a grain of truth in every fairy tale.
What I love about this story is the fact that it has a very strong historical foundation. Saint Kinga was a princes and lived in the 13th century, the daughter of Kinga Bela IV of Hungary and married to the Polish duke. She became also the patron of salt miners.
The underworld hides more than just one tale. And Polish folklore is rich in gnomes, ghosts, demon and, the women in black. This same is true here and if you have luck you might meet the Treasurer, a good demon, the guardian of natural treasure. But beware of the White Lady, Bieliczka, who lured men deep into the mines with her charm to certain destruction and death.
The true story beyond the tale
For centuries salt was considered a treasure; it was even called ‘ white gold’. The kings used it to maintain their courts, pay the clerks, and build castles and churches. The income also funded the first Polish university in Kraków in the 14th century and the managers of the salt works erected impressive townhouses. In addition to this, salt was particularly profitable since it was one of the few methods of preserving food- and the most effective.
The rock of salt was discovered in Bochnia and Wielczka in the second half of the 13th century. The Polish princess and kings realized the strategic significance of salt extraction and trading, and quickly established their monopoly over the saltworks in the early Middle Ages.
But the history of this place began even earlier. Initially, brine springs were exploited; from boiling water, through the wells. When the springs stopped flowing to the surface, eventually the shallow salt deposits. The path to modern salt mining was still long even as the wells quickly began to be transformed into mines.
By the end of the Middle Ages, about 350 people were working in the mine; annual production was about 7-8 thousand tons of salt. And all this despite the fact that the work was merely seasonal – the local miners’ year was divided between the mining and agricultural work, such as harvesting or haying.
Even then, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was so famous that it was the first visited by tourists. The first famous artist and scholar to visit the mine was Nicolaus Copernicus himself. Wieliczka has survived wars and the fall of kings without suffering any negative consequences. But the difficult times came after the World War II where Poland was severely destroyed. Much more salt was mined that time than before in order to obtain the highest possible profit, resulting in the destruction of the mine. Due to deteriorating conditions, the first work to secure the mines began in the late 1950s. In 1964, rock salt mining in Wieliczka ceased completely.
In 1976, the site was entered onto the list of Polish monuments. It was extremely important to recognize the salt mine as an extraordinary UNESCO monument; it was one of the first items on the World Heritage List, entered in 1978.
A legacy of talent and faith
Wieliczka is something more than a rich history and hidden legend. This place is like a piece of art carved out of a block of salt like marble. But who did it? Polish Michealangelo?
The mine was created by simple people not a king nor artist – people full of fear, hope and faith. The power of nature, darkness and depth triggered the need in them for close contact with God. The underground chapels are an expression of this desire. More than 40 places of religious worship were created in the Wieliczka Salt Mine – from modest crosses to grand temples where people could pray. That is why the first works of art created in the mine were religious. The oldest fully preserved salt temple is the Chapel of St. Anthony (17th century). The most famous and most impressive is the Chapel of St. Kinga. This amazing interior design is the work of talented miners, self-taught artists.
Over time, as Wieliczka gained more and more fame, professional artists specializing in salt carving began to carve there.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is a testament to the rich history, innovation and perseverance that have shaped this extraordinary underground world over thousands of years. This place blend history, culture, natural beaty and art attracting a millions visitors every year.
If you are curious for more information, see https://www.kopalniawieliczka.eu/
Sources:
Krakowbooking. (2021, October 21). The History of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. https://krakowbooking.com/blog/neolithic-present-day-history-wieliczka-salt-mine
Kopalnia Soli Wieliczka (n.d.). https://www.kopalniawieliczka.eu/
Krakowbooking. (2021, September 22). The Legend of Saint Kinga. https://krakowbooking.com/blog/treasurer-kinga-and-siuda-baba-legends-wieliczka-salt-mine
World Heritage Journey Europe(n.d.). The Legend of Saint Kinga. https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/the-legend-of-saint-kinga/85cdfd98-ceef-433c-8d0a-8bab13854c2e
Leave a Reply