Men of the Deep

Okay, I know there is a Nova Scotia men's choral group of that name but Poland has sort of its own kind of renowned "men of the deep". They are the Wieliczka miners who, since about the 17th century  have been creating fabulous carvings in this salt mine not far from Krakow. The mine opened in the 13th century and was active until 2007. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The mine's attractions include dozens of statues, several chapels and a cathedral that is used today.  Visiting the mine, you descend down stairs to a depth of 64 metres. The guided tour takes you through about 3 km of tunnels and stairs to a final depth of 130 m. During the tour, in addition to the statues and chapels, you see two underground lakes, salt "cauliflowers" on the walls and salt "spaghetti" or stalactites.  There is also a large ballroom that is used for conferences, weddings and other special events. Visitors to the mine have included Copernicus hundreds of years ago to Pope John II and Bill Clinton much more recently. Thankfully, there is an elevator that takes you back to the surface in about 50 seconds. I cannot imagine trying to walk back up all those stairs!  Here are some of the photos I took during our tour.