Wieliczka Salt Mine

Going through the history of one of the most valuable monuments of material and spiritual culture in Poland, which is also part of the UNESCO’s World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.

A PRESENTATION BY GIORGIO RENZI

IIS E. MAJORANA SAN LAZZARO, BO introduction introducing wieliczka salt mine

THE “WIELICZKA” SALT MINE, SITUATED IN WOJEWÓDTZWO MAŁOPOLSKIE REGION IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE MONUMENTS IN POLAND. EACH YEAR IT IS VISITED BY MORE THAN ONE MILLION TOURISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT IS ALSO PART OF UNESCO’S WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE LIST (1978), WHICH FEATURES SITES SUCH AS THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA AND TAJ MAHAL. THE MINE IS A PRODUCT OF WORK OF TENS OF GENERATIONS OF MINERS AND COMBINES TRADITION WITH MODERNITY, SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY AND AN UNDERGROUND METROPOLIS WITH EXTENSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE. A MONUMENT TO THE HISTORY OF POLAND AND TO THE POLISH NATION ITSELF. history - part 1 the mine of the past and of today

MIOCENE THE SALT DEPOSITS IN WIELICZKA ORIGINATED OVER 13 MILLION YEARS AGO. NEOLITHIC TRACES OF SALT EVAPORATION IN THE AREA OF WIELICZKA (6000 YEARS AGO). 10TH - 12TH CENTURY EARLY MEDIAEVAL SETTLEMENTS. INHABITANTS BEGIN TO EVAPORATE SALT. 13TH CENTURY ROCK SALT IS DISCOVERED, THE FIRST SHAFTS ARE DUG: NA ZAMKU, GORYSZOWSKI. 14TH CENTURY DEEPENING OF THE SHAFTS: REGIS, SERAF, WODNA GORA. 16TH CENTURY NEW SHAFTS ARE DUG: BONEROWSKI, BUZENIN, LOIS. 17TH CENTURY NEW SHAFTS ARE DUG: GORSK, DANILOWICZ, BOZA WOLA, LESZNO, JANINA. 18TH CENTURY PRODUCTIONS OF EVAPORATED SALT IS DISCONTINUED. SAXON TREADMILLS (MACHINES HAULING SALT TO THE SURFACE) ARE INTRODUCED IN THE MINE AND FIRST TESTS USING GUNPOWDER FOR CRUSHING AND MINING SALT ARE PERFOR- MED. 19TH CENTURY A RAILWAY TRACK CONNECTING THE MINE TO WIELICZKA TRAIN STATION IS CREATED. CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS IS FOUNDED. history - part 2 the mine of the past and of today

20TH CENTURY EXCAVATION OF ROCK SALT WAS TERMINATED. THE MINE BEGINS TO PRODUCE ONLY EVAPORATED SALT. OPENING OF THE UNDERGROUND KRAKOW SALTWORKS MUSEUM. THE MINE IS ENTERED ON UNESCO’S FIRST WORLD LIST OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. TODAY THE “WIELICZKA” SALT MINE IS A NATURAL SITE VISITED BY MORE THAN ONE MILLION VISITORS EVERY YEAR. IT OFFERS THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ROUTES: - TOURIST ROUTE: 20 CHAMBERS TO VISIT - THE CHAPEL OF ST. KING IS THE MOST BRILLIANT ONE - MINERS’ ROUTE: THIS VISIT IS AN ACTIVE EXPEDITION INTO THE MINE, BEGINNING IN THE REGIS SHAFT - PILGRIMS’ ROUTE: AN OFFER FOR PILGRIMS IN SEARCH OF PRAYERFUL CONTEMPLATION AND DESIRING TO BE WITHIN MAGNIFICENT CHAPELS AND RELI- GIOUS SCULPTURES CARVED IN SALT mining traditions mining is a hard work, but someone has to do it

BEING A MINER IS NOT ONLY A PROFESSION, BUT A PASSION AND TRADITION PASSED ON FROM FATHER TO SON, FROM TIMES IMMEMORIAL. UNDER THE GROUND, TIME CHANGES ITS COURSE, IT FOLLOWS THE RHYTHM OF HOLIDAYS OF MINE’S PATRONS AND SAINTS, IT GATHERS SPEED AND SLOWS DOWN TO CELEBRATE ANNUAL FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS.

A MINER LEADS A COLOURFUL LIFE AND DIVIDES HIS TIME BETWEEN THE MOMENTS SPENT UNDER THE GROUND AND THOSE SPENT ON THE SURFA- CE. THAT IS WHY HE TAKES COLOURS WHICH REMIND HIM OF BOTH. GREEN – A SYMBOL OF FORESTS AND FIELDS, LONGING FOR NATURE. BLACK - DARKNESS IN WHICH HE MUST TOIL, BUT ALSO THE SOIL WHICH YIELDS SALT CRYSTALS.

THE FIELD UNIFORM IS GREY, THE GALA ONE IS BLACK. THE GALA UNIFORM IS ADORNED WITH INSIGNIA OF RANK AND DECORATIONS REMINISCENT OF THE TIMES OF OLD. A SPLENDID PLUME SYMBOLISES A BRUSH, IN THE PAST USED TO CLEAN BLASTHOLES, FOR CONVENIENCE KEPT STUCK BEHIND A BAND OF THEIR HATS. THE LONG CAPE OFFERING PROTECTION AGAINST WATER SEEPING THROUGH THE CEILING HAS BEEN PRESENTLY TRANSFORMED INTO A LOVELY, SHORT CAPE.

IT WASN’T ENOUGH TO GO UNDERGROUND TO BECOME A MINER. A SPECIAL RITUAL WAS REQUIRED FOR A MINER-TO UNDERGO THE TRANSFORMATION FROM A “FOX” INTO A REAL MINER. HIS FURTHER FATE DEPENDED ONLY ON HOW HARD AND HOW WELL HE WORKED DURING HIS SHIFT.

MINERS SOMETIMES MEET AT THE BEER TAVERN, WHERE TRADITIONAL MEETINGS TAKE PLACE. DURING THESE EVENTS MINERS FEAST TOGETHER. THE TAVERN FOLLOWS OLD SCENARIOS, MINERS COMPETE IN A NUMBER OF FRIVOLOUS TOURNAMENTS, THEY CHALLENGE EACH OTHER IN TELLING JOKES AND IN THE ART OF ORATION.