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Most of you probably know Wieliczka. Mostly You have visited the tourist route without knowing about the existence of another. Today, a report from my visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine – the mining route!
I already visited a tourist route, which is the one chosen by most tourists. There was an opportunity to get to know the Wieliczka Salt Mine from another side. At first, I thought that the mining route is not available for sightseeing, but fortunately, it is!
Differences?
It differs from the “normal” route. The first one is the starting place. On the tourist route we go down the Daniłowicz Shaft, and on the mining, we get through the Regis Shaft. It is located in the city center, near the Market Square and the Castle. The second difference is the outfit. The tourist route is tourist so in addition that the clothes must be warm other requirements are not there. On the mining route, we are equipped with a suit, flashlight, absorber and helmet. From this, we can deduce another difference – lighting. There is no light on the mining route – the flashlight is attached to the helmet.
Route
Visiting the mining route takes about 3 hours and it is not a typical trip from point to point. During our stay underground, we learn the life of miners over the years. An interesting fact is that we use sidewalks over 200 years old on the route. During the stay in the mine, a lot of attractions await us – methane measurements, rock mass deflection, sawing, laying pavement housing or crushing salt blocks into smaller ones. A delicious bigos was waiting for us. In one of the chambers with flashlights turned off, we could see how the real darkness looks like. On the route, we could also observe the traces of a fire that hit the mine in the 17th century and information about work of horse in the past.
The route is not difficult. Although there is mud in some places, and the ceiling is often low (which with my height is noticeable). I have a lot of fun. Finally, after fulfilling all requirements (including jumping through the skin), receive a miner’s certificate.
If you were already in Wieliczka on a tourist route or you did not have the opportunity to be and you are looking for adventures then go on a mining route, and certainly it will be an interesting change from the classic tour. If you’re looking for even more adventures, you can stay underground for the night!
