After a 10km drive from central Krakow, we arrived at the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It is 700 years old and has 2,400 chambers and tunnels over 245km long. It would take about 4 months to see everything - thankfully, it's only a 3 hour tour. We descended 371 steps down into the mine (90 metres) before the tour started.
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| Going down the steps into the mine |
Almost everything is salt - the floor, walls and ceilings. There are salt chandelliers and sculptures. The horses used to live their whole lives in the mine because it's too difficult and dangerous to raise and lower them safely. There are huge caverns in the mine where they hold events like weddings. Mass is celebrate every Sunday in the main cathedral. By the end of the tour we had descended to 164 metres. The camera coped better in the dark areas, so more photos later.
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| A salt statue |
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| MOH and STS with salt statue |
Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in Krakow.
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| Examples of salt |
We left our car at the apartment, and walked to the Stare Miasta, the old town centre, to see the Cloth Hall. It was originally a trading market building, and is the oldest existing market building in Europe. These days it is full of souvenir stalls - lots of amber, jewellery, small trinkets like keyrings and figurines. Outside are more stalls with antiques and collectables, handmade crafts and bits and bobs.
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| Cloth Hall |
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| Inside Cloth Hall |
It is surrounded buildings and sculptures. In the evening there are lots of horse drawn carriages for the tourists to go on a short tour.
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| Carriages at Krakow |
On our way to and from the Cloth Hall, we passed the Barbacan and the old towns fortification.
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| Inside the town walls |
We walk home after a big day, for some rest.
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