Wieliczka+Salt+Mines

If you think about mining, what comes to your mind first? Do you think of coal? Diamonds? Caves? Tools? Or maybe the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland? This salt mine has been used from the 13th to the 20th century, and has been rebuilt plenty of times. It is now inactive, but tourists are still welcomed .There are over nine levels in this mine with works of art made by the miners themselves, and underground concerts and theater shows are held. The mine is 327 meters in depth and is over 387 kilometers long. The unpolished granite gives the whole place a gray, dingy look, which most people don't expect to see. Although there is a wooden staircase with 378 steps, there is an elevator that carries a maximum of 36 people to the surface. The Wieliczka Salt Mine has been entered in the National Register of Historical Monuments and the World Heritage List. Did I mention that the artwork by the miners was made from salt? This is a salt mine, after all. The sculptures that the workers left on the walls practically make the area an art gallery. The concerts that are held underground consist of classical music. One of the oldest orchestras are performed in the mine. Founded in 1830, the brass orchestra plays "Wieliczka"--a song not only famous in Poland but also all around.