In the heart of Transylvania - Visiting Turda salt mine - Cluj, Romania

There is a place in Transylvania, that I've been visiting many times now, into the underground of the mountains from Turda where you see a normal entrance into a hill and in a couple of minutes you see yourself 1200 meters under de ground, between huge salt walls.

Small lake inside the salt mine at 1200 m underground

Turda Salt Mine is between the most beautiful touristic attractions from Romania.
In contrast to other salt mines, Turda salt mine design combines harmoniously elements like wood and steel to express the way in which the past, the future and the tradition from Romania are blended together to create a project of which purpose is to contribute to the progress of the community, all this in the underground of Transilvania.

Main entrance into the mountain above the salt mine of Turda

After beeing the most significant salt deposit from Transylvania for hundrids of years, pouring salt into the treasury of the Hungarian Kings and the Habsburgic Kings, the mine was almost forgoten after it was closed in 1932. Aroud 60 years were needed to bring back to life the Salt Mine from Turda and transform it into a reference point for all those who are impassioned of traveling and visiting the undergrounds. Since its opening as a touristic attraction the Salt mine of Turda was visited by over 2 million tourists.

Aside with the big wooden crane powered by horses

The story of the mine goes back to the Dacian period and by the 13 sentury the salt was worth more than the Transylvanian Gold and the knights were reworded in salt boulders. Later in the 16 century, the salt mine was so productive that it managed to cover not only the demand in Transylvania, but also across Hungary up to Budapest.
Back then, the work in the underground was done with hammers, slitters and diferent wooden tools powered by horses to get the salt out from such a huge depth. Even today, you can still see the big wooden machines that were powered by horses as a result of the fact that the wood was preserved by the conditions inside.

After the mining operations were ended in Turda, the villagers were only remembering about the salt mine during World War II, when the enemy planes were bombing Turda from above and the salt mine was completely safe at such depth.

View from the top

The feelings that you experience when you are inside the mine are truly amazing. Just thinking that in that place have worked thousands of miners who by that time were getting small quantities of salt by manual work it is incredible.

Inside you have two ways of getting on the bottom of the mine: by stairs and by elevator. I definitely recommend the stairs if you have the resistance to walk on so many stairs because at each level as you go down you can see the year when that level was reached by the miners, engraved into the salt walls. I personally felt all the history that was engraved there.

Year engraved on the salt walls

On the bottom of the mine you can simply have a walk and breath the air which is healthy for your lungs, or you can enjoy a pool game, a bowling game with your friends or you can also have a short boat ride on the small underground lake.

The walls of salt - structure

The wheel inside the Turda Salt Mine

If I made you curious about this place you can visit the mine everyday and go down there, I guaranty that you will feel closer to the earth's heart.
The place in near Cluj Napoca a city from the north of Romania. but below you can see better its location.