A salt mine transformed into a wonderful multifunctional space

Such projects are often called “adaptive reuse” because they rehabilitate abandoned places or buildings to give them new uses.

A striking example of this kind of intervention is found in Krakow, Poland, where one of the largest and oldest hand-carved underground mines in the world has been transformed into a complex of buildings including Natural treatments and everything. Health reaches the church.

This reuse project was developed at the Wieliczka Salt Mine, where a brine-like material was extracted, and when this material was depleted, it forced the construction of wells, leading to the discovery of rock salt, a type of salt found in Treasures not found anywhere else in the world.world.

At the end of the 15th century, salt was extracted 64 meters underground. The mine continued to grow until it had a restaurant, employee shelters and facilities. In 1964, evaporated salts were produced on the ninth floor (327 meters underground). In 1978, UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List and stopped producing salt in 1996.

Change

Currently, some rooms and halls are being restored for tourist use, hosting performances, treatments and banquets. The maze is so wide that visitors can only enter 2% of it.

One of the main facilities is a spa, which is beneficial for patients suffering from asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia, as air from the mine passes through a series of salt corridors, cleaning out pollutants found on the surface.

Each site has a unique spatial layout. Some were used as living spaces, while others were converted into churches or taverns.

Visitors can choose between two routes, a tourist route that takes you through the aforementioned chambers, and a miner’s route that allows you to wander through the underground salt labyrinth. Walls and ceilings are left in a raw, natural state, with crystal chandeliers and wooden floors.