May 10, 2015
The journey begins with 800 steps to walk down to a depth of 135 meters ( not quite a mile) under ground…………
to see the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Most of the mine is supported by wood ( metal would rust). It has been producing salt since the 11th century. We walked the mine for 2 hours and only saw 1% we were told – only 20 of the 2000 chambers that exist. What also was so crazy is that in the 19th century, the miners began to make carvings, chandeliers and even chapels out of the salt. There were so many carvings, mostly religious, that I lost track. Photographers did not turn out the best but here is a sampling:
King Kazimierz the Great – Poland’s highly respected King from 1333 to 1370.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph 3-D carving in the wall.
The Last Supper 3-D carving in the wall.
One of the 3 Chapels in the Mine – all made from salt.
The chandeliers were also made out of salt in the chapels.
Chapel of St. Kings, which took 67 years to create in the early 20th century. It is huge with carvings everywhere you look.
At the end of the tour, an elevator took 8 people at a time back up to the surface in 45 seconds. The experience was very interesting – seeing the underground lake, learning how the miners and horses worked underground and lived their lives hardly ever seeing daylight. But it also taught me that I would have never made it as a miner.
God bless the men who can do this kind of work.
Jeannie's Travel Addiction 