Wieliczka Salt Mine

After a while of being in Europe for some time, you begin to lose some interest in castles and cathedrals. There are just so many! Sometimes it feels like if you've seen one then you've seen them all... (which I know isn't really the case, but it can start to feel like it).

For our journey to Eastern Europe I really wanted to find some tourist destinations that were unique--something we would see nowhere else.

As I researched for places to go/things to see I stumbled across the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

I was intrigued first of all because I didn't realize salt came from underground mines in Poland, and second because my family has quite a history in mining. My grandpa has been an underground gold and silver miner for over 50 years and we've often gone on family camping trips to visit Grandpa's mines, or have ridden dirt bikes and four-wheelers through Idaho to see mines. Since my mother was also with us on this trip, I thought Wieliczka would be a fantastic visit for us!

We pre-booked our tickets online as the tours are limited in space and can often sell out.

Being the cautious traveling I am, and knowing that if something can go wrong it probably will, I printed out the confirmation of our purchased tickets to bring with us to Poland. Ticket prices weren't overly expensive, but they weren't cheap either.

Knowing that we wouldn't be able to arrive until evening with our morning plans, we booked the 2nd to last tour of the day. When we arrived we went to the ticket booth prior to our tour time and here's where one of the mishaps of "kari-ventures" happened.

The clerk at the desk couldn't find our reservation.

Despite having printed out confirmation of the tickets that I had paid for, without being able to find the tickets paid for in the computer she would not be able to let us in to the tour. We pulled in a manager's assistance and still, no tickets. All the while they're speaking Polish to me, I'm trying to speak Slovak to them, and we're understanding about 50% of what we're saying to each other (the languages are close but not exactly interchangeable).

I'm frantically watching the clock as our tour time approaches, and passes... *sigh*

There's still one tour left for the night, our only chance to descend into the mine. Finally, with the help of one more employee, they are able to find our reservation and put us into the last tour. They inform us that the tour is 3 hours long and there are limited bathrooms until the end, at which point Ryan decides to make a dash for the little boy's room.

A Polish woman arrives to take us down the mine shaft and there's no sign of Ryan. The guide begins to get impatient and in a thick, stern and slavic accent tells us that if he is not back in 1 minute she will not wait. Her day has been long and if she can go home without having to do this last tour it shortens her night. *Gulp*

HURRY RYAN! I am practically screaming in my head as she's watching the seconds count down on her wristwatch.

With not a second to spare... my husband rounds the corner and the Polish woman rolls her eyes with a huffed, "okay then. Let us begin."

Into a little elevator we went and descended 9 floors underground 1,000 feet into the depths of a Polish Salt Mine.

It was incredibly impressive because there were many amenities to attract tourists, including massive timber structures that supported the original mine built since the 14th century. Interestingly, when the salt is oxidized it hardens and becomes sturdy and safe so no timbering of the mine is necessary. Therefore, the areas of the mine that you do see with timbering are areas where there was not salt, or not enough salt, for the walls to safely keep the mine from collapsing.

At the end of the mine there was a gift shop, a restaurant, and a cathedral.

We learned that the miners would often have long work weeks and would hold mass in the mine. Sadly but also for function, horses were brought down into the mine to pull machinery and would go blind from not seeing sunlight. This mine was used to mine table salt up until 2007 when the mine shut down and became purely a tourist attraction.

Information about the Salt Mine

• There are 20 chambers to visit (the chapel of St. Kinga is the cathedral and ornate)

• Plan on using the bathroom before your tour, as it is approximately 3 hours long with limited access to restrooms until the end. There are toilets along the route respectively 90 minutes from the tour start.

• It is not possible to see the mine without a guide.

• Bring warm clothing, even in summer months. Temperatures underground range between 17° and 18° C.

• There are 800 steps to climb. Wear good shoes with grip, some of the steps can be slippery.

• Some parts of the route are adapted for wheelchairs, earlier bookings in this case are recommended.

• Children under 4 years old visit for free.

• No smoking in the mine and no animals allowed.

• Bags are not allowed. You have to check them at the luggage office close to the tourist information centre.

• You have to pay for a permit at the ticket desk to be able to take photos before going down into the mine. You don't want to get down there and want to take a photo only to be told by your guide you can't because you didn't by the right ticket before you descended 9 floors underground...