Visitors flock to Poland’s Wieliczka Salt Mine
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
10.01.2018 08:30
The historic Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland attracted a record 1.7 million visitors last year, almost 200,000 more than in 2016.
![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](http://external.polskieradio.pl/files/47561f4e-69ee-4a53-b3d4-39344270587b.file "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")
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
Foreign tourists accounted for roughly half the total, with those from the UK, Italy, Germany, France, Spain and the United States topping the list.
In all, visitors from more than 200 countries, including those as far afield as Suriname, Bahrain, Brunei and Lesotho, toured the site near the city of Kraków.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine was founded in the mid-13th century. It features a several-kilometre-long tour route for visitors that includes nine chambers, an underground lake and a wellness complex.
The mine’s stunning St. Kinga’s Chapel 101 metres underground is illuminated by crystal chandeliers and adorned by extraordinary altars and a floor that is a work of art in its own right.
In 2017, the mine served as the venue for over 350 educational, cultural, academic and social events, many of them focusing on the history and traditions of salt mining.
In 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
(mk/gs)