Bochnia Salt Mine

Salt was mined at Bochnia from 1248 until 1990, which makes it older than Wieliczka, and the two are inscribed together on the UNESCO list as the royal salt mines of Malopolska. It gets a fraction of Wieliczka's visitors, which is the main practical argument for coming here: the tour is less rushed and the chambers are less crowded. The route goes down a historic shaft in a cage, runs along the August gallery, and includes two things Wieliczka does not have - an underground boat crossing of a flooded stretch, and a long wooden slide into the Wazyn chamber, a hall two hundred and fifty metres long which holds a sports court, a restaurant and beds, because the mine runs overnight stays and treatment for respiratory conditions in the salt air. There is a chapel cut into the rock, mining machinery from several centuries left in place, and a narrow-gauge train on part of the route.

History

Salt was found at Bochnia in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the mine was founded in 1248, becoming part of the royal Kraków Salt Works; it is the oldest commercial company in Poland. Its workings run 4.5 kilometres at depths of 330 to 468 metres on 16 levels, and its main route, the August Passage, was begun between 1723 and 1743 to a design by Jan Gottfried Borlach, who straightened and levelled the mine's roads; salt was taken from the great Ważyn chamber from 1697 until the 1950s, and it was later turned into a sanatorium. Salt production ended in 1990, the mine was declared a heritage monument in 1981 and a national Historic Monument in 2000, and in 2013 it was added to the World Heritage List as an extension of the Wieliczka inscription of 1978 (Wikipedia, Bochnia Salt Mine).

What you'll find

• Mining from 1248 - one of the oldest salt mines in the world, producing salt until 1990.
• The Wazyn chamber - two hundred and fifty metres long, with a slide down into it.
• An underground boat crossing - over a flooded section of gallery.
• Machinery in place - hoists and haulage from several centuries of working.

When to go

All year; the temperature underground is constant. Half a day.

Things to know

Entry is by guided tour only and routes book ahead in summer. There are many stairs and the descent is by cage. It is around 14-16 degrees below ground - bring a layer. The slide is optional but the queue for it is not always short.

Nearby

Wieliczka is thirty kilometres west; Krakow beyond it.

Key facts