Wieliczka Salt Mine: Salt Chapel, Lesser-Known Stories, and Visitor Tips

Located a few kilometers from the center of Krakow, over 100 meters underground, stands a church where everything is made of salt: the floor, altars, bas-reliefs, and chandeliers. It was carved by self-taught miners during their free time over several decades. The Chapel of St. Kinga is the most famous site of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which in 2025 welcomed a record 1.91 million tourists, mostly from abroad.

This guide tells the story of the mine, which has been in operation for over 700 years, and collects lesser-known tales: about a mare that could not live above ground, an archduke who secretly worked as a miner, a balloon that flew 125 meters underground, and the day the mine almost got flooded. At the end, you will find practical tips for visitors and a brief description of Wieliczka's older sister, the mine in Bochnia.

Over 700 years of salt extraction

Salt in the vicinity of Wieliczka was obtained around 6000 years ago, in the Neolithic period, by evaporating salty water in small vessels. The extraction of rock salt began in the second half of the 13th century, after the discovery of the deposit. The mine notes that this occurred roughly at the time Marco Polo was traveling to China. Wieliczka Salt Mine, press materials about history. In the 13th century, the mine was referred to in Latin as "Magnum Sal," meaning Great Salt. Official mine website.

Salt was a significant source of income for Polish kings. According to mine materials, during the reign of Casimir the Great, it accounted for about one-third of the royal treasury's income, and the profits helped fund the Jagiellonian University. Press materials from the mine. Other mine texts relate this share to the Renaissance period, so the exact era should be treated cautiously. In 1368, the king issued a statute for the Krakow saltworks, which regulated work in the mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia. Bochnia Salt Mine, history.

Austrians turned the mine into an attraction

After the first partition in 1772, the mine came under Austrian administration for nearly 150 years. The Austrians introduced gunpowder, steam engines, underground railways, and their own power plant. They turned the mine into a tourist attraction: during tours, an orchestra played, fireworks were set off, and guests rowed boats on the salty lake. For Poles, visiting Wieliczka during the partitions was a demonstration of Polish identity. After 1918, the names of the shafts were Polishized, and the Empress Elisabeth shaft became St. Kinga's shaft. Press materials from the mine.

The extraction of rock salt ended in 1964, and the wet salt production method ceased in 1996. Today, salt from Wieliczka is only produced by purifying salty water from the mine. In 1978, the mine was placed on the first UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the first twelve sites in the world. Wieliczka Salt Mine, materials on heritage protection.

The mine in numbers

• Depth: 9 levels, from 64 to 327 meters.
• Tunnels: approximately 245 km.
• Shafts: 26 over more than 700 years.
• Chambers: the official website states over 2000, while other mine materials mention about 2500. The difference arises from different counting methods.
• For visitors: only about 2% of the labyrinth is accessible.

Data comes from the official mine website. The mine also compares that the deposit occupies 7 km², the same area as Krakow in the early 20th century, and the extracted salt would be enough to build three pyramids of Cheops. Wieliczka Salt Mine, "A Pinch of Curiosities".

The mine must be constantly protected. Every year, about 110,000 m³ of sand is pumped underground to stabilize the rock mass. The lowest levels are to be closed, and 218 chambers on levels one to five have been designated for preservation. Mine materials on heritage protection. Without safeguards, the mine could, according to its specialists, cease to exist in about 160 years. Official mine website about chambers.

Record year 2025 and tourists from the Islands

In 2025, the mine was visited by about 1.91 million people, the most in its history. Over 70% of guests came from abroad. The largest groups were tourists from the United Kingdom (272 thousand), Italy (143 thousand), and France (87 thousand). For 2026, the mine expects even 2 million visitors. Radio Kraków on the attendance record. Since 1945, over 44 million people have visited the mine, and the official website now mentions 50 million tourists throughout its history. "A Pinch of Curiosities", the mine's homepage. If you live in the United Kingdom, you might meet more neighbors underground than Poles.

The mine is also a place for ceremonies. The Weimar Chamber, with a brine lake, is popular among couples, and according to the mine, many men propose there. Official mine website.

Chapel of St. Kinga carved by self-taught miners

The chapel was carved by three miners without artistic education: brothers Józef and Tomasz Markowski and Antoni Wyrodek. Later, other miners added to the work. The chapel is illuminated by huge chandeliers made of rock salt crystals. Wieliczka Salt Mine, "On Carving in Salt". The work began in the late 19th century, most commonly cited as 1896, and lasted about 70 years. EWTN News on the Chapel of St. Kinga.

The chapel is about 54 meters long, 18 wide, and 12 high, and lies about 101 meters underground. Tomasz Markowski carved the main altar, pulpit, and side altars. Antoni Wyrodek made the floor, railing, and bas-reliefs, including "The Last Supper" modeled after Leonardo da Vinci's fresco. In 1999, Stanisław Anioł and his assistants carved a statue of John Paul II from salt. Aleteia on the Chapel of St. Kinga.

Carving in salt has a long tradition in Wieliczka and began for practical reasons. Former royal commissions, fearing fires, prohibited the construction of wooden chapels underground. Miners then began to carve chapels in salt. As early as the 17th century, the Chapel of St. Anthony was carved from a block of green salt. "On Carving in Salt".

The chapel is not just a monument. Masses are held there, weddings and concerts take place, and it accommodates about 400 people. EWTN News. There is information circulating online that 20,000 tons of salt were removed during the chapel's construction. We did not find a reliable source for this.

The Ring of St. Kinga, contested by two mines

According to legend, the Hungarian princess Kinga, daughter of Bela IV, threw a ring into the shaft of a salt mine in Hungary before her wedding to Prince Bolesław the Chaste. When she arrived in Poland, miners found the ring in the first block of salt extracted from beneath Krakow. What is surprising is that both Wieliczka and Bochnia claim to have found the ring. In Bochnia, the legend is associated with the Sutoris shaft. Bochnia Salt Mine. In Wieliczka, it is presented in the Janowice chamber. Official mine website.

The second major figure in underground legends is the Treasure Keeper, the spirit guardian of miners. He warned of danger, and according to some stories, led the lazy and greedy to their doom. Bochnia also has its Treasure Keeper, where the family route "Kingdom of the Treasure Keeper" operates. National Geographic Traveler on the Bochnia mine.

Goethe, Chopin, and the Archduke as a miner

Since 1774, the mine has maintained Guest Books, in which many famous people have signed. Based on this register, historian Barbara Lesiak-Przybył confirms visits by Stanisław Staszic (1789), Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1790), Emperor Francis I (1817), Fryderyk Chopin (1829), Dmitri Mendeleev (1859), Stanisław Moniuszko (1865), Jan Matejko (1868), and Eliza Orzeszkowa (1874). B. Lesiak-Przybył, Yearbook of the Scientific Library PAU and PAN, 2016.

The same article cautiously mentions Nicolaus Copernicus: "there is much evidence" that he was in Wieliczka. The mine presents him as the first tourist known by name, but we did not find any contemporary document. Therefore, Copernicus's visit is probable but unconfirmed. Some sources state that Goethe visited the mine in 1787, but the Guest Book indicates the year 1790. Karol Wojtyła visited the mine twice as a teenager and once as a cardinal, but never as pope. EWTN News.

The funniest story concerns Archduke Franz Karl. According to the official mine website, he secretly worked as a miner for several hours, and a barrel of his daily haul was kept for years in the chamber named after him. For his two visits, a salt obelisk was erected, which can now be seen on the Miners' Route. Official mine website about chambers.

The last mare that could not get used to the sun

For centuries, horses worked in the mine. They powered the winches and pulled carts, and an old stable has been preserved in the Fortymbark chamber. Official mine website. The last mare, Baśka, came to the surface in 2002.

Her story was described in 2006 by the industry magazine "Modern Engineering Construction." Miners spoiled Baśka: she worked only one shift and had weekends off. She felt unwell on the surface. She was cold because it was early spring, and the crowing of roosters and the mooing of cows annoyed her at the farm. Eventually, she ended up in a shelter. "Modern Engineering Construction," 2006. It is often said that horses spent their entire lives underground. However, we did not find confirmation of this for Wieliczka.

The day the mine almost flooded

In 1992, at level IV, about 170 meters underground, a leak began in the crosscut Mina, which turned into an uncontrollable outflow of water mixed with sand and silt. The mine and part of the city above it were threatened. A. Gonet, S. Stryczek, AGH, 2017.

The magazine "Modern Engineering Construction" wrote in 2006: "It was a close call that such uncontrolled flooding could have led to the cessation of the Wieliczka Salt Mine." The ground above the leak sank by over 2 meters. The workings above the crosscut were filled with sealing grout, totaling over 1500 m³. "Modern Engineering Construction," 2006. The mine itself cites the year 1992 as a moment that showed how much the monument needs protection. Press materials from the mine.

Parts of Heinkel planes in salt chambers

In April 1944, the Germans began building a forced labor camp for Jews in Wieliczka, associated with the Heinkel company, a manufacturer of aircraft. Large chambers of the mine were converted into underground workshops where prisoners assembled parts for combat aircraft. Several thousand people were held in the camp on Janińska and Klaśnieńska streets. In September 1944, the camp was dismantled, and the prisoners were mainly transported to the Mauthausen and Flossenbürg camps. Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow. This is a little-known and painful chapter in the mine's history, rarely mentioned on the tourist route.

Health resort 135 meters underground

Since 2011, Wieliczka has had the status of an underground health resort, the first in Poland. The treatment chambers are located on level III, 135 meters underground. Conditions treated here include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nasal, sinus, and throat diseases, as well as allergies. You can get a referral from the NFZ or come commercially. Wieliczka Salt Mine, materials about the health resort, health resort website.

Treatment in the mine has a long history. As early as 1644, a bathhouse was established for miners, and in 1838, thanks to Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, brine baths were opened. Press materials from the mine. Note: the brine graduation tower at the mine has been closed since October 6, 2026, until further notice. Mine homepage.

Ballooning, bungee, and windsurfing underground

• Hot air balloon flight: On May 6, 2000, in the Stanisław Staszic chamber, 125 meters underground, a hot air balloon rose 2.13 meters and floated freely for 4 minutes. The air was heated by electric blowers. Preparations took nearly two years, and the feat made it into the Guinness World Records as the deepest balloon launch. Wieliczka Salt Mine, press materials, Polish Aviation Museum.
• Bungee: In the same chamber, which is 36 meters high, an underground bungee jump took place.
• Windsurfing: Sailor Mateusz Kusznierewicz surfed on a board on the brine lake 104 meters underground. The water was about 8 °C and so salty that it was hard to drown, and the wind was created by a blower. Mine materials.
• Sports and mail: Boxing galas, dance tournaments, and soccer matches take place in the Warsaw chamber. You can send a postcard from deep within the mine, and Wi-Fi operates over 100 meters underground. "A Pinch of Curiosities".

Penitents, wooden tracks, and past fires

Mining in the past was very dangerous. In the Burned chamber, penitents worked to burn off the accumulating methane to prevent explosions. The name of the chamber comes from an old fire. In the Boczaniec chamber, traces of a fire from over 300 years ago are still visible on the wooden structures. Official mine website.

Technical curiosity: the underground railway in the Gołuchowski chamber had wooden tracks in the 19th century because salt quickly destroyed iron. There, visitors can take on the roles of former miners, including a methane measurer and a mining carpenter. Miners' Route on the mine website.

Visiting: routes, prices, and access from Krakow

Tourist Route

This is the basic route: about 3.5 km, 2–3 hours including the museum, to a depth of 135 meters. At the very beginning, you descend about 380 steps, and in total, you cover about 800 steps down. You return to the surface by elevator. The temperature underground is 17–18 °C, so a sweater is advisable. There is a restaurant 125 meters underground on the route. Hand luggage must not exceed 20 × 20 × 35 cm. Tourist Route on the mine website. The official website stated in November 2026 that prices start from "121 PLN" per person. You can find the current price list in the mine's ticket shop.

Miners' Route

For those who prefer adventure over sightseeing: 1.9 km, 2–3 hours, down to 101 meters, for people aged 10 and in groups of up to 20. Participants search for salt and test the air in the mine, just like former miners. Miners' Route. Tours in languages other than Polish and English require prior online ticket purchase. Prices and visiting hours.

Access

Wieliczka is located about 10 km southeast of the center of Krakow. The easiest way to get there is by suburban train from Krakow Główny station to Wieliczka Rynek-Kopalnia station, from where it is a few minutes walk to the mine. You can also take bus 304 from the Dworzec Główny Zachód stop near Galeria Krakowska. By car, you can reach it via the A4 highway to the Krakow Wieliczka junction. The Tourist Route begins at the Daniłowicz shaft, ul. Daniłowicza 10. Map and access on the mine website.

Bochnia, the older sister of Wieliczka

Many people believe that Wieliczka is the oldest salt mine in Poland. However, the oldest is the mine in Bochnia, whose beginnings as an extraction facility date back to 1248. In 2013, it was added to the UNESCO listing along with Wieliczka. It is visited by nearly 190 thousand people annually. Bochnia Salt Mine, history.

Bochnia has attractions that are not available in Wieliczka. There is a 140-meter underground slide for people aged 9 and older. Regulations for the underground slide. You can row a boat through a flooded excavation, and in the Ważyn chamber, 248 meters underground, you can spend the night or even celebrate New Year's Eve. National Geographic Traveler, Bochnia mine website.

Visiting Bochnia in practice

The multimedia route in Bochnia is about 3 km long and takes 3–4 hours, and along the way, you have to climb hundreds of stairs. Part of the route is covered by an underground mining train. Daily at 10:30 and 11:45, there are entries with audio guides in seven languages. Online tickets must be purchased at least 60 minutes before entry and are cheaper than at the box office. The mine is closed on January 1, Easter, Corpus Christi, November 1, and during Christmas holidays. The mine is located at ul. Campi 15 in Bochnia. Bochnia mine website, price list. One of the oldest shafts, Sutoris, is named after the Latin word for shoemaker.

Myths about Wieliczka