Deepest underground thoughts...

 If ever you're in Krakow, don't miss the Salt Mines. Truly amazing.  Some wonderful carvings, vast caverns and historically fascinating. 





A massive underground chapel, carved in the miners' spare time:



Underground lake of salt water:


Chandeliers made from salt crystals:





A cavern 36 metres in height:


A great trade to be in if you live near the mine is to be a chippy.  All the stairs and steps are wooden. There are hundreds of staircases, and have to be replaced at regular intervals because of the over 1 million visitors the mines receive every year:



The mines originally produced rocksalt. This is is of particular interest to me, as I was born in mid Cheshire, near the town of Northwich, which is situated above old rock salt mines. Historically, whole streets used to collapse by a whole storey overnight because of mine collapses.

The rocksalt mined in Cheshire is like this piece of Rocksalt found also here in Krakow.



I somehow managed to get a one to one guide to a deeper part of the mine:

My guide Pieter:


showed me some workings further down with more exhibits:






The tallest cavern in the mine:




.... and that ends my visit to Krakow, a city rammed with history. A great place to visit.
I've got an early start tomorrow for an all day train ride to Graz, Austria.









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