rootless

Walking pass the huge control panel into the mining elevator we are packed like sardines into the small car.   The device is activated and down we go - FAST!  

135 meters (approx. 405 feet)  down, down, down in less than a minute!

We are at the Wieliczka Salt Mine located very close to Krakow Poland.  This area has provided salt to the inhabitants of the region for perhaps thousands of years and like anything that old, it has a remarkable history.  It is believed prehistoric man living in the area discovered the salt which had seeped to the surface.  They learned to preserve food with the salt and as the centuries passed, the importance of salt in civilization grew.  At one point it was even used as currency and the ruling class began to mine the salt in earnest.

Over the hundreds of years the mines became larger and larger

Above: all parts of the tunnels are salt; ceiling, floor and walls.

Even with the undoubtedly abundant variety of events that have happened in these old, old, mines, this mine also has a couple of extraordinary characteristics.

This is the mine where the miners themselves, on their own time, labored way beyond the call of duty to develop their artistic talents, completely on their own.  They carved, and carved and carved the most amazing statuary out of SALT.

And perhaps most tremendously, they have carved entire rooms.

In addition to encountering the immense extent of the mines themselves, and the grandeur and artistic excellence of the carvings, we also ran into a phenomenon that we had only seen once before; the “orbs”.
 [clik on the pic to see a larger version]

 

There is a belief that the bubble-like blotches seen in the photo above may be the soul/essence/spirit, whatever you want to call it, of the dead.   Some believe it is some sort of reflection or technical error processed by the digital camera.  I would be more inclined to accept the latter speculation if I had not been the one taking the picture.  There were really no circumstances that would have created the “orbs” in these photos and, indeed, the “orbs” do not appear in every photo indicating a camera malfunction.  Instead, the ”orbs” were visible in less than a quarter of the pictures taken and most prevalent in these two photos which were taken in a room with old machinery that looks as if it might have been very dangerous.  Speculating along these lines would lead one to surmise there may have therefore
been many deaths in this room.

As I mentioned, there is only one other time we ran into the “orbs” which you can see near the bottom of the post,  Napoleon’s Tomb.  

 

Whatever the “orbs” may be, they do tend to lend an eerie feel to the scene.   And after spending time surrounded by the incredible sculptures and mysterious “orbs” so far beneath the Earth’s surface, my idea of what working in a salt mine is like, now is extremely different than what it had been before. 

What had compelled the miners to remain deep in the mines to create these beautiful works of art?  Are the “orbs” actually the spirits of those who lost their lives working down in the bowels of the earth?  What is it about the Wieliczka Salt Mine that takes hold of those who are there and will not let go?

Knowing I would  get no answers to those questions,  We were more than happy to queue up for the elevator and ride quickly to the surface before the mine decided to add us to its population.

Posted on August 21st, 2009 by dianagene
Filed under: Europe Trip