Krakow, Poland: Salt Mine & Schindler's Factory

This morning, I was up and ready to go, and met my guide in the lobby. The weather had made a turn for the worse, and although we missed most of the rain yesterday, we were not that lucky today. We loaded into the van and were taken to the salt mines located a little ways outside of town. The actual name of the place is the Wieliczka Salt Mine (for the name of the town in which it's located) and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Salt has been mined here for thousands of years, as evidenced by pre-historic artifacts and tools found around the site, but organized mining didn't begin here until the end of the 14th century.

I met my local guide and we began my tour. The complex labyrinth of tunnels is comprised of over 300km of dugout tunnels. Thankfully, we only walked through about 4km of them, else I'd still be making my way through the depths. We loaded into a small elevator which plunged deep into the earth, in complete darkness for most of the journey. The of us piled into the tiny cart, and being a tad claustrophobic, I was uncomfortable for most of the journey, but took myself to a happy place and before I began to panic, we were at the end of our decent. I wasn't quite so lucky in the ascent, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

The salt mine was really beautiful, actually. It shined in most places, with gray and white streaks running along the walls. In places, fresh salt had crystallized, making parts of the wooden support beams and parts of the ceiling look like they were covered with a thick, white frost. As we plunged deeper into the lowly lit void, we ran into a few chambers that contained sculptures made out of the salt that (most) had been carved by the workers of the salt mines themselves. There was a cavern for kids that contained sculptures of the seven dwarves, which I found particularly entertaining, just wondering what my five-year-old niece and almost three-year-old nephew would have though about it!

We continued going into an enormous cavern that had been carved into a church. Steps carved into the salt rock led down to a floor carved out of the salt which resembled large stone tiles and chandeliers made with large pieces of white salt that sparkled hung from the ceiling. There were crucifixes made out of salt, a carving of the last supper was on one of the walls. It was certainly unlike any other church or cathedral I've ever been in before.

We continued on, seeing exhibits on how the salt used to be mined, and into a cavern that held a large underground lake. Then we made our way to the largest cavern in the complex, and I was astonished by its size. Thankfully I was able to take a picture here, so it is attached below.

This place was just amazing, and after about two hours of exploration, it was time to surface. There was a queue at the elevator going up, and SEVEN of us squeezed into the space that three of us had had on the way down. And since we were over twice as deep at the end of the tour than we were at the start, the elevator ride took twice as long. Just as I was about to really freak out, and I do mean really freak out, we were at the top and out into the light and fresh air. I didn't enjoy the ride, but it was worth that discomfort in order to see the amazing sights that the mine contained. Seriously, if you are ever in Krakow, do yourself a favor and check out these mines. It's a marvel of engineering and natural beauty...

We then got back into the car and we went past (not into the Schindler factory, but past it). I had a free afternoon and was told if I wasn't too emotional exhausted after Auschwitz, that would be a good optional activity for the afternoon. I had a quick lunch, relaxed at the hotel for a bit (obsessively playing SongPop -- I'm addicted!!!) and waited for the rain to stop. When it did, I hopped into a cab and headed to the Schindler Factory museum, which chronicles the history of WWII in Poland, and more specifically in Krakow.

Today (September 1), is actually the 73rd anniversary of the day Germany invaded Poland. I spent about two and a half hours in the museum, taking it all in, trying not to get sick to my stomach at the pictures of smiling Nazis in front of dead/hanging Poles. It was an amazingly well-done museum, but again it absolutely is emotionally trying. The depths of human deprivation...

After the museum, I decides I would walk back to the hotel through the Jewish Quarter, confident (a bit overly so) in my ability to navigate my way back without a map. After a very long walk, I finally made it back to my hotel and was out again for dinner. I ate on the main square, with live jazz accompanying my delicious Polish meal, had a few drinks and then made my way back to the hotel. I have to get packed up and leave for Warsaw tomorrow!