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You are here : Home > Places to see in Poland > KRAKOW > Wieliczka Salt Mines > Main Square in Krakow > Wawel Castle & Cathedral > The Royal Route > Kazimierz > Jagiellonian University > Leonardo Da Vinci > Giant Burial Mounds > Auschwitz-Birkenau |
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Wieliczka Salt Mines
The Wieliczka Salt Mine,
located just outside Krakow, has been worked as a
source of rock salt since the late 13th century.
The mine consists of over 200 km of underground passages.Over the centuries, miners have established a tradition of carving sculptures out of the native rock salt. As a result, the mine contains entire underground churches, altars, bas-reliefs, and dozens of life-size or larger statues. (Main Chapel at Wieliczka Salt Minetaken by Nikonmania) It also houses an underground museum and has a number of special purpose chambers such as a sanatorium for people suffering from respiratory ailments. The largest of the chapels, the Chapel of the Blessed Kinga, is located 101 meters below the surface, it is over 50 meters long, 15 meters wide, 12 meters high, with a volume of 10,000 cubic meters. As a testament to its
historical and artistic importance, the mine The Wieliczka Salt Mines provide a unique experience that should not be missed.
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In association with Radley bags |
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has
been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List of sites
designated as having ``outstanding universal value
to mankind.'' It receives up to a million visitors
yearly, most of them during the warmer summer
months.