Chandelier at the Wieliczka Salt Mine
It was interesting to see sculptures made of rock salt here in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I wouldn’t have thought that salt would be a material for making these things. But rock salt is very hard and thus it serves as a good material for sculpting. The Polish are very skilled in these arts and it shows by the presence of numerous sculptures deep in the salt mine. The mine has a variety of sculptures on exhibit. I wasn’t sure if these are the original locations of the sculptures but they were conveniently put here along the tourist route.
Chapel Inside the Wieliczka Salt Mine
Another thing which is characteristic of the Polish people is their deep faith in God. The country is staunchly Catholic and it even shows here in the salt mine. There is actually a chapel which was carved out of the rock. It wasn’t very large but it was good enough to hold services in. I still find it difficult to imagine how this entire place is made of salt. The chapel has a statue of the Virgin Mary in the center, that one didn’t seem to be made of salt. There was a chandelier which uses crystals for the lights. Apparently, you can manipulate the salt so that it will become transparent enough to transmit light. It is truly very impressive to see this use of salt.
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