Historic Site · Wieliczka, Poland
Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland. Built 1300.
Photo: C messier via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Wieliczka, Poland |
|---|---|
| Type | Historic Site |
| Built | 1300 |
| Area | Area: 9.69 km² |
| Coordinates | 49.9792° N, 20.0639° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Wieliczka Salt Mine is known for
The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland.
About Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland. From Neolithic times, sodium chloride (table salt) was produced there from the upwelling brine. The Wieliczka salt mine, excavated from the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 1996, as one of the world's oldest operating salt mines.
History
The first documentation of the mine dates from 1044, when Casimir I granted a privilege. Monks collected salt around that time. Since the 13th century, brine welling up to the surface had been collected and processed for its sodium chloride (table-salt) content.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Wieliczka Salt Mine website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Wieliczka |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Katowice International Airport (KTW) |
| Distance from the airport | 55.4 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK) · Balice, Poland · 14.1 miles away
- Katowice Wojciech Korfanty International Airport (KTW) · Katowice, Poland · 55.4 miles away
- Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport (RZE) · Jasionka, Poland · 87.4 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Poland
More historic sites
Frequently asked questions
What is Wieliczka Salt Mine?
The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland.
Where is Wieliczka Salt Mine located?
Wieliczka Salt Mine is in Wieliczka, Poland. Its coordinates are 49.9792° N, 20.0639° E.
How do I get to Wieliczka Salt Mine?
The nearest town is Wieliczka, and the nearest airport is Katowice International Airport (KTW), about 55.4 miles away (straight line).
When was Wieliczka Salt Mine built?
Wieliczka Salt Mine was built 1300.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wieliczka_Salt_Mine — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q454019 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- http://www.kopalnia.pl — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.