Anna Staniszewski

Literature is filled with bizarre settings, but some places in real life are stranger than anything literary minds could imagine. I visited one such place while I was in Poland. It’s called the Wieliczka Salt Mine and it’s right outside of Krakow. No longer a working salt mine, its main industry now is tourism. What’s so exciting about a salt mine?

For one, there are dozens of sculptures, made out of salt, strewn throughout the mine, some dating back centuries. There are also chapels, restaurants, and even a ballroom. Yes, all underground. The mine was also the location of the  world’s longest (and probably first) underground hot air balloon flight.

Though pictures can’t really convey the amazing nature of this place, here are a few I took to give you a taste. Here is an example of one of the salt sculptures you might see. (Don’t let the gray color fool you; it’s all salt).

As you’re led up and down stairs carved out of salt, you wander in and out of caves both small and large. One of them is an enormous chapel, seen here from an overlooking balcony.

The altar, the floor, even the chandeliers, are made out of salt.

The walls are covered with carvings of biblical scenes,

including one of The Last Supper.

And, of course, there’s a sculpture of Pope John Paul II (who grew up near Krakow).

Besides a restaurant and gift shop in the mine, there is also a grand ballroom, fully equipped for hosting functions (including concerts and weddings).

Is your jaw dragging across the floor yet? I know mine was the entire time I was wandering around this crazy place. It helped to remind me that as wonderful as imagined worlds can be, sometimes real life can be just as (or even more) awe-inspiring.