Wieliczka attractions

Salt Mine

The Salt Mine is unquestionably the crown jewel all Lesser Poland’s monuments, those at Wieliczka. The mine, known as Magnum Sal in the thirteenth century, was added to the Register of Monuments in 1976 and the First UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1978. In 1996, the last raw material was extracted. It was formerly Poland’s top producer of salt, and it now ranks among the top Polish tourist destinations for visitors from across the globe.

Cracow Saltworks Museum

To preserve and promote Poland’s history of salt mining, the Cracow Saltworks Museum was founded as a governmental institution in 1951. Its responsibility extends beyond the „Wieliczka” Salt Mine to include the „Bochnia” Salt Mine as well as the Saltworks Castle, which houses its displays. The following collections house museum artefacts: Geological, Archaeological, Mining Technology, Cartography, Art, Ethnography, Archives, and the „Special Collection”.

Saltworks Castle

The Krakow Saltworks Museum is housed in the Saltworks Castle, a royal structure that once served as the management office for the Wieliczka and Bochnia mines. The castle is made up of three main structures: the Southern Castle (built in the 19th and 20th centuries), the Northern Castle (built in the 15th century), and the Central Castle (built in the 13th and 14th centuries). A garden that was created around the structure in the seventeenth century is still one of the top tourist destinations today. A series of salt cellars, a temporary display, and a permanent archaeological show are all included in the castle tour.

Graduation Tower

Is a wooden structure that is coated in blackthorn twigs and has inhalation qualities that are good for the respiratory system.

The „Wieliczka” Salt Mine’s Graduation Tower, which features a 22.5 m high viewing tower and a 3,200 m² surface area, is situated in the vicinity of the Daniowicz Shaft.

Crypt of the Morsztyn Chapel in the Church of St. Clement

Is a historical sanctuary treasure housed in the church of St. Clement, where a portion of the treasures are on display.

Selected pieces from 130 works of art are periodically added to the display, creating a one-of-a-kind collection of the region’s cultural legacy.

Regis Shaft

It is the oldest existing shaft of the Wieliczka mine. For centuries, it was used to transport salt to the surface. Today, you can ride it underground to get to know the Miners’ Route and discover the secrets of the mining profession.

Although it has been restored, its original construction is over 700 years old. It has the largest cross-section of all shafts in Wieliczka, and its shape resembles a barrel.

The elevators that are located in it transport tourists to a depth of 127 meters below the surface of the earth.

Salt City (Solne Miasto)

This is the Education and Recreation Center in Wieliczka. In the complex you can find, among others: an indoor swimming pool with a zone for children, a gym, a fitness club, a table tennis zone, tennis courts, sports fields, sports halls, a climbing wall, a sports shop, and an ice rink in the winter season.

It is a very attractive place for recreation and relaxation for adults and children.

The church and monastery complex of the Franciscan Reformed Fathers

Together with the church of st. Francis of Assisi in Wieliczka. The church was founded in the first half of the 17th century by Sigismund III Vasa from the income of the salt mine. It was the first brick temple of the Reformers in Poland and became a model for building subsequent churches in the Lesser Poland Province of the Reformers.

The church is also the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Gracious Duchess of Wieliczka and a center of worship associated with the monastery of brother Alojzy Kosiba. Saving Wieliczka from destruction during World War II was attributed to the protection of Our Lady of Grace.

The Upper Market Square in Wieliczka

It comes from the reign of Casimir the Great, when Mikołaj Wierzynek was the mayor. It is a square-shaped square with eight streets, two at each corner. In 1977, the Upper Market was entered into the register of monuments. In the southern frontage of the market square there is the Przychodzki Palace, built at the end of the 18th century on the foundations of the old town hall.

On the plate of the Upper Market Square, from the side of Zamkowa and Kilińskiego Streets, you can see life-size figures of four salt miners, symbolizing the mining character of the city. The figures depict the scene of miners coming out of the mine underground.