Afternoon at the Salt Mine

The tour to Auschwitz and Birkenau was followed by an afternoon tour at the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It did feel a bit weird and inappropriate to do anything after visiting Auschwitz but it was also nice to see that human beings can create intricate, delicate, and beautiful things too.

The mine is no longer used for salt production and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are over 2,000 chambers, it goes a few hundred meters under the ground, and its length is over 250km.

The chambers are filled with stunningly carved sculptures and designs — all carved into salt. Some of the sculptures are of important individuals from Poland’s political history, others are religious, and some are used to demonstrate legendary stories.

There are pools of saltwater that provide near-perfect reflections of the surrounding area.

There is even an operational chapel that is open to the public every Sunday filled with religious depictions carved into salt.

The salt crystallization is quite remarkable as well and can be seen below.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine was definitely not a place I had heard about before. Overall, it was a pretty interesting way to spend a few hours and learn about a different aspect of Poland’s history.