Poland to pour millions into historic salt mine
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
14.10.2018 20:30
Poland’s prime minister said on Sunday his government would pour millions in long-term funding to aid a historic salt mine in the south of the country.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (centre) meets residents in the southern town of Wieliczka on Sunday. Photo: PAP/Jacek Bednarczyk
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his conservative government was pledging to provide the Wieliczka Salt Mine with a long-term restoration programme, worth nearly PLN 1 billion (EUR 230 million, USD 270 million) by 2027, in an effort to support “this great national treasure” and benefit the local area as well as “tourism and Polish culture.”
The Wieliczka Salt Mine in August said it attracted 1.4 million visitors in the first seven months of this year and was on track to set its all-time annual record in the number of visitors.
Founded in the mid-13th century, the mine opened to tourists at the end of the 18th century. Attractions include historic statues, a large chapel, and a lake. There is also a wellness complex in the mine.
St. Kinga’s Chapel, an artistic marvel 101 metres underground at the historic Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland. Photo: Andrzej Barabasz (Chepry) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
In 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
(gs/pk)
Source: PAP