Sculpture of the Princess Kinga at the Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest and longest operating salt mines in the world. It opened in the 13th century. Such a long time breeds stories which relate to the mine. One of the most well known ones is the legend of Princess Kinga. Now, Princess Kinga is a Hungarian princess and she was supposed to be married off to a prince of Krakow. Krakow was a very prosperous place and it probably bodes well if they have good ties with the royalty in Krakow. As part of the financial package when getting married off, the princess asked for a lump of salt.
Igniting Gas in the Salt Mine
Now, salt in those times was a precious commodity. There was a salt mine in Hungary and before leaving for Poland, she threw her engagement ring in one of the mining shafts. Upon arrival in Poland, she instructed the miners to dig until they hit solid rock. When the cracked open the rock, lo and behold, was the engagement ring. The story may sound ridiculous but Princess Kinga was a real person. She was really married into the Krakow royalty and was the duchess. She actually was a very benevolent duchess and was very active in charitable works include visiting the poor and helping lepers. When her husband died, she sold everything and became a nun where she would always be in prayer. True to her character, she never wanted to be referred to as a duchess now that she is a nun. She was elevated to sainthood as a person worthy of emulation. On top of that, there is a sculpture reenacting the rediscovery of the ring. The sculpture was made of rock salt, the same stuff the mine is made of.
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