The road which leads up to them is marked with superstructure of mineshafts. They are not very desirable in Małopolska (Lesser Poland) landscape but when visiting Bochnia and Wieliczka it becomes clear that something is the case because the history of these towns is linked with the exploitation of the material without which life would be impossible, namely salt. Salt formed 15 million years ago in the northern outskirts of the Carpathian Mountains. At that time due to hot and dry climate water evaporated and elements dissolved in it formed a deposit. Then, as a result of the Carpathian Mountains moving from the south, these deposits were folded and moved to the north. The exploitation of these deposits started in the Neolithic era already but a great influence on its later shape and form had Bolesław the Chaste’s wife Kinga in 13th century. According to a legend in a lump of salt mined here her ring which had been thrown into one of the Hungarian mines was found here. Centuries of salt mining left kilometres of drifts and chambers filled with air which has health benefits for your body. Imagine that this priceless and frequently awarded reality is here, literally beneath our feet.
Mines
Attractions of Malopolska
