The Bochnia Salt Mine () in

Bochnia Bochnia (german: Salzberg) is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Eu ...

, Poland, is one of the oldest salt mines in the world and is the oldest commercial company in Poland. The Bochnia salt mine was established in 1248 after salt had been discovered there in the 12th and 13th centuries, and became part of the royal mining company, ''

Żupy krakowskie Żupy krakowskie was a Polish salt mining company which operated continuously from its inception in the 13th century to the late 20th century. It managed salt mines and salt works in two neighboring towns (known as the Royal Salt Mines collectivel ...

'' (

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Salt Works). In 1990, the mine ceased producing salt but remains a tourist attraction. In 1981 the Bochnia salt mine was declared a heritage monument. It is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (''

Pomnik historii Historic Monument ( pl, pomnik historii) is one of several categories of objects of cultural heritage (in the singular, '' zabytek'') in Poland. To be recognized as a Polish historic monument, an object must be declared such by the President ...

''), as designated on 6 October 2000, and is overseen by the

National Heritage Board of Poland The National Institute of Cultural Heritage of Poland ( pl, Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa NID) is a Polish governmental institution responsible for documenting cultural property and the intangible cultural heritage, as well as for supporting and ...

. The chapel in the mine has train tracks running through it.

History

The mine shafts measure in length at about in depth below the surface, at 16 levels. In 2013, the mine was added to the

UNESCO World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

as an extension of the

Wieliczka Salt Mine The Wieliczka Salt Mine ( pl, Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland. From Neolithic times, sodium chloride (table salt) was produced there from the upwelling brine. The Wieliczka salt ...

inscription of 1978.Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines (extension to the Wieliczka Salt Mine).
''UNESCO World Heritage Centre'', 03/07/2013.

August Passage

The August Passage is the main communication and transportation route in the mine. It runs from the east to the west of the mine, connecting in a straight line the bottom ends of the Campi and Sutoris shafts. It is at a depth of from the top of the Sutoris shaft and counting from the top of the Campi shaft. The August Passage was initially called the Long Stove (Piec Długi). Its first part, extending between the Rabsztyn Chute and a Campi Shaft, was built from 1723 to 1743, in accordance with a design by Jan Gottfried Borlach. His great achievement was to regulate routes in the mine by ensuring their straightening and leveling. As a result of this, over the next decades, the August Passage was able to reach a length of nearly . Excavated chambers, shafts and passages form an underground town, which is open to sightseers. The largest of the preserved chambers has been converted into a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

Ważyn Chamber

The Ważyn Chamber was named after the administrator (podżupek) Andrzej Ważyński. The deepness of this chamber, the biggest in

Salt Mine, is ; its length is ; its maximum width is ; and its maximum height is . The chamber uses no supporting pillars. Salt from Ważyn chamber was extracted from 1697 until the 1950s. For the purposes of creating a

, these old pits were expanded with a loading-hauling-dumping (LHD) unit machine. This work took place until 1984. Thanks to them the Ernest Chute from the 17th century impressively presents itself on the stripped chamber's roof. The Ważyn chamber has a specific

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

, with a constant temperature between , high humidity (about 70%) and favourable ionisation of the air saturated by sodium chloride and valuable microelements, like magnesium, manganese and calcium. The air in the chamber is distinguished by its purity. The chamber is equipped with beds: up to 300 people can sleep here. The other parts of Ważyn Chamber are fields for playing volleyball, basketball and handball. There are also restaurant and conference facilities.

References

The Salt Mine in Bochnia

{{Authority control 1248 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Poland 1990 disestablishments in Poland Buildings and structures in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Salt mines in Poland Underground mines in Poland Tourist attractions in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Museums in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Salt museums World Heritage Sites in Poland Former mines in Poland

History

August Passage

Ważyn Chamber

See also

References