Krakow’s Salt

Poland is a fascinating country. Many things have happened in Poland, particularly in Krakow. For instance, in the 13th century they discovered salt near Krakow. Once they discovered the salt they started mining it. By the 19th century they had three levels and the deepest one was about 200 meters underground. Because they were very religious, when they were done mining in some of the chambers they would carve statues, or they would carve chapels. Most of the chapels were small, but they have one large and grand one. It is like the main body of a cathedral.

A carving from the largest chapel

At one point they had 60 horses in the mine to help transport the salt. The horses would live in the mines for fifteen years. The miners did not live down there. They would go into the mines every day to work and go back up at night to their families. In the salt mines only free, educated men could work. They would not use slave labor. The job in the mine was passed down typically from father to son.

There were other people working down there besides the salt miners. They had carpenters to build supports for the ceiling so that it would not collapse. They had a senior miners who would crawl with long torches in the air to burn off the methane gas so that the salt miners could continue to work without dying. The mine was owned by the royal  family, which meant it was never privatized, so there was someone from the castle overseeing them in some capacity.

The salt mines are massive and since the 20th century they have added nine more levels. They are a maze of tunnels one could easily get lost in, but they are very important to the economy. I guess you just never know the importance of what is under your feet.