Well, first off I have to tell you guys, that this mine is pretty old - it's from the times the Romans were around this whole place.
Of course the mines didn't work continuously since then-more like on and off-, but at more recent times the people in our country decided that it would be nice to open it up again.
And since then the whole place was renovated, and made available for tourists and patients from all around the world. Yes, the mine also has a place for the sick people - the bath salts help greatly for all kinds of internal diseases.
The salt aerosols in the air are also very good for those who have breathing problems - I have to admit, that the one- one and a half hour we spent inside was enough for me to actually feel the salt in my throat, only by breathing.
For those who just want to visit the place to see the world, you'll have a great few hours down there. There are different kinds of chambers and even entertainment for those who have to linger more (you can take a ride on a slow moving Ferris wheel, play all kinds of sports like ping-pong, bowling, basketball, mini-golf, etc., or even row a little boat around the lake at the bottom of the mines).
If you are lucky you might even catch some kind of event inside too - they organize all kinds of concerts down there.
Anyways, for those out there who want to know more about it's history, you can check out their site. Yes, it is in English, so you will have no problem with it. You will also find much better pictures there than mine... you know, if you don't really know what's on these next pictures, even with me trying to describe them. (Again, sorry for the quality.)
These first three pics are supposed to be the entrance of the mines- it's about 300 meters long all in all. It's pretty cold- even colder than the actual main chambers of the mine. At least that's how we felt when we walked it's length.
These two pictures are from the Franz Joseph Gallery - a continuation of the long corridor we walked trough.
The white layers on the wall are made up mostly of salt. Don't lick the walls, though... it's not really good :P
From this hallway you can enter another chamber that's called the Joseph Mine - or, by its more common name, the Echoes Room. It got it's name because it's mostly cut off from the other chambers, and because of the deep mined-out parts of it make everything echo real nicely. If you approach this chamber carefully, you will hear a whole bunch of people screaming and listening for the echo. We tried it out too - even made a short little video caption about it, so if you want to check it out, make sure you befriend me on FB.
This next room you can see in the picture is called the Crivac Room. The machine you can see is unique, because it's the only one of its kind in Romania - and probably even Europe. It was exploited by horse power, and it transported salt from one place to another.
This strange device is actually a pulley- and it's located near the other chamber. It's called the Extraction Well Room, and just as the other one, it was used to transport salt from one mine to another.
These pictures were taken from above the Rudolf Mine - the one I called the Main Room, earlier. This is the place that hosts all those entertainment places and playgrounds. It's a pretty big chamber, of about 45 meters deep, 50 meters wide and 80 meters long (according to the site).
I have to tell you guys that those of you who can't stand big heights should really watch out for this one. Almost all of my family-including me- trembled a bit when we looked down while waiting for the lift. There are, of course, stairs that you could also take up or down, but they are kinda small, and it's hard to even walk down on them. Also, it's not too wide, so if someone tries to go up while you are trying to move down, you'll get one hell of a traffic jam.
These are supposed to be the lift and the stairs, although I don't know how much you can see. The lift has glass walls, so you can actually see the chasm under you. Not for the feint of heart!
These last ones were taken in the Theresa Mine, the one with the little salt lake on the ground. This mine is even deeper than the Rudolf Mine - it's 120 meters deep. This chamber also has a nice little 'salt cascade', and in the middle of the lake there is an island that's composed mostly of salt waste. The buildings on it serve as a place to sit down and enjoy a couple of minutes of silent wonderment at the beauty of everything around you. You can also take a little boat from here and row around the lake in it, if you are brave enough.
There is one more chamber we could enter on our own from here - but I don't have pictures of it. It's called the Appeal Room, and it has two main parts: the Sanctuary and the staircase of rich people. The Sanctuary is actually only a little niche carved into the stone that held - and holds an altar. It was said, that in the morning this is where the miners used to gather up and utter one or two prayers for everyone's well-being.
And this is pretty much it.
There is another Mine chamber that is used by those who need therapy, and another one that has its entrance in a totally different part, so we didn't check those out now.
Also, on our way back we tried to check out the Zoo in town, but it was closed - and in a really horrible state too-, so we just headed back home from there. I also managed to convince our driver (my sister's boyfriend) to stop at a safe place somewhere on the top of the hill that leads to our city - Feleacu/Feleki tető.
The next two pics are about our little city, at least as much as you can see of it.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this, and you will stick around for more tomorrow. I'm not sure yet what's going to be tomorrow's topic, but I'm sure it will be worth the while.
