UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Location | Bochnia, Bochnia County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland |
Part of | Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines |
Criteria | Cultural: (iv) |
Reference | 32ter-002 |
Inscription | 1978 (2nd Session) |
Extensions | 2008, 2013 |
Area | 135.4 ha (335 acres) |
Buffer zone | 322.6 ha (797 acres) |
Website | bochnia-mine |
Coordinates | 49°58′09″N20°25′03″E / 49.96917°N 20.41750°E |
The Bochnia Salt Mine (Polish : Kopalnia soli Bochnia) in Bochnia, Poland, is one of the oldest salt mines in the world [1] and is the oldest commercial company in Poland. [2] The Bochnia salt mine was established in 1248 after salt had been discovered there in the 12th and 13th centuries and became part of the royal mining company, Żupy krakowskie (Kraków Salt Works). In 1990, the mine ceased producing salt but remained a tourist attraction.
In 1981 the Bochnia salt mine was declared a heritage monument. It is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments ( Pomnik historii ), as designated on 6 October 2000 and is overseen by the National Heritage Board of Poland.
The chapel in the mine has train tracks running through it.
The mine shafts measure 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) in length at about 330–468 metres (1,083–1,535 ft) in depth below the surface, at 16 levels.
In 2013, the mine was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as an extension of the Wieliczka Salt Mine inscription of 1978. [1]
The August Passage is the main communication and transportation route in the mine. It runs from the east to the west of the mine, connecting in a straight line the bottom ends of the Campi and Sutoris shafts. It is at a depth of 176 metres (577 ft) from the top of the Sutoris shaft and 212 metres (696 ft) counting from the top of the Campi shaft. The August Passage was initially called the Long Stove (Piec Długi). Its first part, extending between the Rabsztyn Chute and a Campi Shaft, was built from 1723 to 1743, in accordance with a design by Jan Gottfried Borlach. His great achievement was to regulate routes in the mine by ensuring their straightening and leveling. As a result of this, over the next decades, the August Passage was able to reach a length of nearly 3 km (2 mi).
Excavated chambers, shafts and passages form an underground town, which is open to sightseers. The largest of the preserved chambers has been converted into a sanatorium.
The Ważyn Chamber was named after the administrator (podżupek) Andrzej Ważyński. The depth of this chamber, the biggest in Bochnia Salt Mine, is 248 metres (814 ft); its length is 255 metres (837 ft); its maximum width is 14.4 metres (47 ft); and its maximum height is 7.2 metres (24 ft). The chamber uses no supporting pillars. Salt from Ważyn chamber was extracted from 1697 until the 1950s. For the purposes of creating a sanatorium, these old pits were expanded with a loading-hauling-dumping (LHD) unit machine. This work took place until 1984. Thanks to them, the Ernest Chute from the 17th century impressively presents itself on the stripped chamber's roof.
The Ważyn chamber has a specific microclimate, with a constant temperature between 14–16 °C (57–61 °F), high humidity (about 70%) and favourable ionisation of the air saturated by sodium chloride and valuable microelements, like magnesium, manganese and calcium. The air in the chamber is distinguished by its purity. The chamber is equipped with beds: up to 300 people can sleep here. The other parts of Ważyn Chamber are fields for playing volleyball, basketball and handball. There are also restaurant and conference facilities.
Lesser Poland Voivodeship is a voivodeship in southern Poland. It has an area of 15,108 square kilometres (5,833 sq mi), and a population of 3,404,863 (2019).
Wieliczkapronounced[vʲɛˈlʲit͡ʂka] is a historic town in southern Poland, situated within the Kraków metropolitan area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. The town was initially founded in 1290 by Premislaus II of Poland. Nowadays, it is mostly known for the Wieliczka Salt Mine, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and the historic old town core which was listed as one of National Polish Monuments in 1994. The population in 2023 was estimated at 27,845.
Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway 38 kilometres (24 mi) between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built in the 13th century, a World Heritage Site and a Historic Monument of Poland.
The Kraków Cloth Hall, in Lesser Poland, dates to the Renaissance and is one of the city's most recognizable monuments. It is the central feature of the main market square in the Kraków Old Town, which since 1978 has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Wieliczka Salt Mine is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland.
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Władysław Skoczylas was a Polish watercolorist, woodcutter, sculptor and art teacher.
The Imperial and Royal privileged Galician Railway of Archduke Charles Louis was a privately owned railway company in the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia operating during the time of the partitions of Poland in the second half of the 19th century. The company was managed by Prince Leon Sapieha, under a license granted to him by Emperor Francis Joseph I on 7 April 1858.
The Frasassi Caves are a karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Ancona, Marche. They are among the most famous show caves in Italy.
Grand Roc is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Massif de la Vanoise range. It has an elevation of 3,316 m (10,879 ft) above sea level.
Żupy krakowskie was a Polish salt mining company which operated continuously from its inception in the 13th century to the late 20th century. It managed salt mines and salt works in two neighboring towns, Wieliczka Salt Mine in Wieliczka and Bochnia Salt Mine in Bochnia, as well as river salt ports on Vistula and, only in the 17th century, a salt work in Dobiegniewo. The company was created circa 1290 by the Polish Crown, thus giving birth to the largest industrial centre in Europe until the 18th century, according to UNESCO, both in terms of the number of employees and its production volumes.
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Tholos de El Romeral, situated 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north east of the town of Antequera (Andalusia), is one of the most important examples of early Bronze Age architecture in southern Europe. Tholos de El Romeral, also known as Cueva de Romeral and Dolmen de Romeral, is a megalithic burial site built circa 1800 BCE. It is one of three tombs in the region, the others being Dolmen de Menga and Dolmen de Viera, both situated to the south west.
A żupnik in Polish salt and metal mining between 13th and 18th century was a manager which oversaw the operations of a mining district, often in the name of the king.
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Żupny Castle is a Gothic castle, the former headquarters of the Wieliczka and Bochnia Salt Mine. The castle is located in the former mine complex and was designated as part of the Wieliczka and Bochnia UNESCO World Heritage Site, since an expansion in 2013. The castle is located in Wieliczka, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in Poland.