The largest tourist attraction in Poland offers over 100 kilometers of carved tunnels in over 2000 feet below the surface.

The mine began operations in the 13th century after the princess noticed the importance and need for local salt and was granted miners and equipment from her father to go scout out a new salt mine for the people.

They quickly found salt at Wielicksa and began extracting it to use and export abroad. This sale of salt eventually consisted of 1/3 of the total revenue made in Poland at the time and became a key part of the country’s stability over the next 3 hundred years continuing operations through 2007. Today the mine is a tourist stop filled with stunning carvings of salt made into the most beautiful and inspiring sculptures, chandeliers, and decorative surfaces. There are underground salt lakes and dining halls, and even a church carved entirely out of salt. The scale of the mine is stunning leaving visitors astounded at the scale of operations given the technology and manpower of the times.

Salt is supposed to be good for respiration so the mine now offers therapeutic stays in a salt spa where visitors can stay for extended periods of time to breath deeply while inhaling the curative qualities of the therapeutic salt mine of Wielicksa.