Wieliczka Salt Mine

You're standing at the Wieliczka Salt Mine, just outside Kraków. You can't see much of it from here, because the real thing lies beneath your feet. Down there runs a maze of tunnels and chambers, reaching 327 metres deep. This is one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Salt making here is first mentioned in 1044, and for centuries this was Poland's royal salt mine. Salt was precious, and it made the state rich.