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The salt mine (Kopalnia soli "Wieliczka"), located near Krakow, Poland, is a major salt mine
The 13th century
It's been mined since
Salt mine
Has been basically discontinued.
The underground excavation of the salt mine has developed the ancient salt mine with nine layers of depth, the shallowest is 64 meters underground, the deepest is 327 meters underground, and the total length of all the channels is 250 kilometers. There are rooms in the salt mine,
church
Salt sculptures and underground lakes, like an underground city.
In 1976, the Vilichka Salt Mine was designated as a Polish state
Historic site
In 1978
UNESCO
rank
World cultural heritage
In 1994, the Polish President decreed that it was listed as a historic site, and in 2013 the Vilichka Salt Mine was renamed "Vilichka and Bochnia Salt Mine" and the neighboring Bochnia Salt mine was incorporated into it. In addition to showing the scene of underground mining sites, they also have artistic, historical and religious significance, and have a very outstanding universal value.
[1]
- Chinese name
- The Vilichka salt Mine
- Foreign name
- Kopalnia soli, Wieliczka
- The shallowest point
- 64 meters underground
- Innermost part
- 327 m underground
- Channel length
- 250 km
The statue of Princess Jinjia
Salt crystal
Salt played an important role in medieval Poland, and not only did the food preservation industry make a lot of money from salt, but salt also became a tool of the government. The original salt was made by collecting brine water and heating it to evaporate, and the Vlichka rock salt mine was of great value. Once discovered, it was monopolized by the Polish rulers and granted royal property status, playing an important role in the Polish economy. In the 14th century, salt produced more than 30% of the country's income. The monarch used this income to reward his family, relatives, and various other nobles. Revenue from the salt mines supported the court and other important domestic figures, and paid for castles to protect trade routes.
After the 16th century, thanks to the development of mechanization, Velichka became a modern company and is said to be the first operating enterprise in Poland. After the gradual widespread application of mechanization, the amount of mining has greatly increased, in order to meet the huge amount of mining, people continue to look for new salt resources, so the salt Wells are dug deeper and deeper, and now it has reached a depth of more than 300 meters.
In 1368, Kazimierz Wielki gave up his exclusive rights to the salt mines and issued a decree later known as Statut Kazimierzowski. This document sets out the rights and tax rates of individuals and various working groups, as well as the rules for accounting. A royal commission was established to inspect underground excavations and buildings, to verify accounts, and to issue guidance and instructions. In the 16th century, the Vilichka salt mine became one of the most important businesses in Europe.
[6]
Underground salt lake
From 1826 to 1846, salt water from the mine was used for spa treatment. In 1950, part of the salt mine was opened as a museum. In 1958 the spa at the salt mine was restored. The salt mine was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1978.
In 1996, the salt mine was shut down and the salt layer was almost exhausted.
[6]
Heritage name: The Royal Salt Mines of Vilichka and Bocchinia
Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines
Selected time: 1978 (revised scope in 2008)
Selection basis: Cultural heritage
(iv)
Location: 49°58 '45 "N 20°3' 50" E
Heritage Number: 32ter
Map of the geographical location of World Heritage Sites in Poland
1978 According to cultural heritage selection criteria
(iv), the Royal salt mines of Vilichka and Bocchinia
UNESCO
Approved by the World Heritage Committee for listing as a cultural heritage in the
World Heritage List
".
Selection based on criteria (iv) :
The Royal Salt mines of Vilichka and Bocchinia show the historical stages of the development of mining technology in Europe from the 13th to the 20th centuries. The way these underground corridors, underground chambers are arranged and decorated reflects the social and religious traditions of the miners, the tools and machinery, as well as the architecture of the castle that managed the salt field for centuries, providing outstanding evidence of the socio-technical systems involved in the mining of underground rock salt.
[2]
The rock salt deposits of Vilichka and Bocchinia have been mined since the 13th century. This large industrial enterprise has royal status and is the oldest industrial enterprise in Europe. The site is a series of properties, including the Vilichka and Bochnia salt mines and the Vilichka Salt Field Castle. The Salt mines of Vilichka and the Royal Salt Mines of Bocchinia illustrate the historical stages of the development of mining technology in Europe from the 13th to the 20th centuries: the mines both have hundreds of kilometers of galleries of art, underground churches, and vivid figures sculpted in salt, presenting beautiful myths, legends and stories. The mines are administratively and technically managed by the Weilichka Saltwork Castle, which dates back to the medieval period and has been rebuilt several times over the course of its history.
[2-4]
In ancient Poland, salt was an extremely important commodity and was essential for human survival. Salt was used in many ways, including curing meat, salting fish, making butter, tanning, and later in manufacturing
Black powder
. In addition, salt can be used as a means of payment. The Polish rulers at that time realized the value of salt, which is why the mining and distribution of salt were monopolized. In the first phase of the operation of the Krakow salt industry, the king was forced to turn to merchants, as investment in the salt mines required a large amount of capital. The merchants took all the risk of prospecting for salt, financed the digging of a deep tunnel, and if salt was found in it, it would be owned by the king. The monarch used installment payments to conceal his large income in order to ensure a permanent possession.
Not only does the food preservation industry make a lot of money from salt, but salt has also become a tool of the government. In the 14th century, salt produced more than 30 percent of the country's income. The monarch used this income to reward his family, relatives, and various other nobles. Revenue from the salt mines supported the court and other important domestic figures, and paid for castles to protect trade routes. In the 16th century, the operation of the Vilichka salt mine became one of the most important businesses in Europe. Royal control over the salt mines ended in 1772 with the first partition of Poland. Originally, salt was made by collecting brine water and heating it to evaporate. Later, Austrian rule not only changed in organization and management, but also introduced new mining methods. Under Austrian rule, a power plant was built to supply electricity to the salt mines and a railway to Krakow was built. Underground operations also became more automated, with air drills used, a salt mill and a steam-powered crane put into use.
[3]
There are a total of 40 churches in the salt mine, the deepest one is in the 7 floors of the salt mine, 270 meters underground, not open to visitors, which has churches and other buildings as well as many salt sculptures, the most spectacular religious place is located 101.4 meters underground Saint Jinja Princess Chapel, The chapel is 10-12 meters high, 54 meters long and 18 meters wide at its widest point. The floor of the church is covered with exquisite patterns, and the ceiling has exquisite chandeliers. The church has an altar and many statues, one of which is 5 or 6 feet tall. The church was dug by three miners over 67 years and completed in 1896.
[7]
The Last Supper in relief
Salt mine
Mineral deposit
It is 4 kilometers long, 1.5 kilometers wide, 300-400 meters thick, and has a total length of more than 300 kilometers. So far, nine layers have been mined, with a depth of 327 meters and a total of 20 million cubic meters of salt. More than 130 meters above the ground, the salt Road has built a rare tourist attraction in the world. As early as hundreds of years ago, the Vilichka salt mine has become a famous tourist attraction, in order to facilitate inspection and visit, in 1744 miners built a stairway in the mine, in the depths of the tunnel more than 130 meters underground built a museum, restaurant, entertainment hall and church. Since the 15th century, tourists have been able to visit the salt mines, and underground tour routes have gradually formed, and many famous Europeans, such as
Chopin
,
Copernicus
,
Goethe
They all visited here.
The interior area of the salt mine is very large, with more than 100 hectares, a depth of 327 meters, and about 300 kilometers of channels winding through it. The area is so large that even though only about 1 percent of the area is open to visitors, it takes about three hours to complete the tour route, during which visitors can descend 64 meters to 135 meters to the third of the nine layers of the salt mine, and deeper areas are closed to the public for safety reasons. But it was discovered that the salt mine's unique environment could help people with asthma and allergies, so an underground rehabilitation center was set up 210 meters underground.
Visiting route
A popular tourist destination from the 15th century to the present day, Vilichka has fewer than 20,000 residents and receives 1.5 million visitors each year, contributing to the city's economy.
[9-10]
Velichka
and
Bochnia
A salt mine is defined by UNESCO as a "secular structure", which falls under category 4 of the World Heritage criteria as "an outstanding example of a building or group of buildings or landscape demonstrating an important stage (or stages) in human history". Here you can see not only the tools and scenes of salt mining since the 13th century, but also the history of salt mining development over the centuries in the world's largest mine museum, which contains many well-preserved mine tools and many special devices, including ventilation and air conditioning systems, etc. It is a unique and complete testimony to the development of seven centuries of European mine theory and technology, demonstrating the harmonious coexistence of human activities and the natural environment since the Middle Ages, which generally influenced the development of salt industrial organizations and even world industry before the advent of the steam age. In addition, the most memorable in the salt mine is the church on both sides of the corridor and a large number of works of art carved with salt, so that Vilichka and Bochnia can not simply use "salt mine" to summarize, here the exquisite art, from the medieval aesthetic concept and religious piety, let people feel like being in a magnificent cathedral. At the same time, it has become a popular tourist destination for the upper classes of Europe since the 15th century, and has gradually matured after undergoing changes in the tour route, and now has a relatively perfect tourism system, which is also a strong proof of the change and development of tourism since the 15th century.
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