Under the town of Wieliczka, at the southern edge of the Krakow suburbs, lies a labyrinth of tunnels, chambers and lakes cut out of salt, nine levels deep, with the lowest more than three hundred metres below the surface. Salt has been mined here since the thirteenth century, and the mine, together with the one at Bochnia some twenty kilometres east, was one of the first sites placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, in 1978. Wieliczka has nearly nineteen thousand people, and the mine entrance is about a kilometre from the centre.
Salt was as valuable as gold in the Middle Ages, and royal salt revenues paid for much of the Polish crown's spending, which helped Krakow to grow rich. The miners worked in the dark with picks and horses, and over the centuries they carved chapels out of the rock salt, with altars, pulpits and statues, all of salt. The biggest, the Chapel of Saint Kinga, is an underground cathedral more than a hundred metres below the surface, with chandeliers of salt crystals and bas-reliefs, including a version of the Last Supper carved in the wall. Saint Kinga, a Hungarian princess who became a Polish duchess, is the patron of miners, and legend says she threw her ring into a Hungarian salt mine and it was found in Wieliczka. The air underground is about fourteen degrees all year and good for the lungs, and a small sanatorium exists in the depths.
The tourist route covers only a small part of the mine, about three kilometres, and starts with a long descent on wooden stairs, a few hundred steps, followed by a lift back to the surface. Tickets sell fast at weekends, so book ahead and allow about three hours. Wear comfortable shoes and a jacket, because the temperature is cool, and note that large bags may need to be left in the cloakroom.
For a rider, Wieliczka is a short hop from Krakow along busy roads, with heavy traffic at rush hour and congested streets near the entrance. The foothills of the Beskids to the south offer pleasant roads through villages and orchards, with the Tatra mountains visible in the distance on clear days. Fuel is on every main road, and the local cooking is generous, with pierogi, soup in bread bowls and sausages. Spring and autumn are lovely, summer is crowded, and winter is cold and grey.