Back to the salt mines has taken on new meaning in Wieliczka (vyeh-leech-kah) 14km southeast of Kraków where miners of their own volition and in their spare time have carved the most beautiful underground chapels, altars, bas-relief of the last super and various statues including Poland’s holiest son, Pope John Paul II.
One of the most impressive is the Chapel of St Kinga, located 101 metres underground and it took miners and sculptors 67 years to create what can only be described as the perfect chapel, complete with a high altar with statues of St Joseph, St Clement and St Kinga. The miner sculptors spared no detail where even the tiles and the chandeliers are carved out of rock salt.
