A LONG HISTORY OF THE KINGDOM OF SALT

Once upon a time, a man found an unusual, muddy gray stone in a well. But then the stone turned out to be salty! This spurred the man to dig deeper and deeper. Because of his discovery, over time, the first mine shafts were dug in Wieliczka, reaching down into the huge deposits of rock salt. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in southern Poland, near Krakow, is over 700 years old, but the salt was produced there since Neolithic times from unwelling brine. Wieliczka Salt mine was excavated from 13th century and produced salt continuously until 2007 and is one of the worlds oldest operating salt mines.

LEGENDARY ORIGINS

Legend has it that Queen Kinga, wife of Wladislav, then the King of Poland, found the mine in the 13th century. Kinga was a Hungarian princess set to marry the sovereign of Krakow, Poland. When asked what she wanted as a wedding gift, Kinga declined jewels and gold; she believed they only brought unhappiness and misery. She wanted something that would serve her people. So she asked for salt. Kinga was awarded the largest and most prosperous salt mine in Hungary. Before leaving for Poland, Kinga threw her ring into the mine. When she became the Queen of Poland, Kinga directed her subjects to an area rich in salty deposits. They started digging and hit something very hard, discovering a large salt rock with her engagement ring inside! The townspeople continued digging and found the largest and most unique salt deposits in the world-and established the Wieliczka salt mine. 

Kinga later became known as the patron saint of the Wieliczka, as she is attributed to finding the mine. When Kinga’s husband died, she gave up the throne and all of her possessions to become a Clares nun, and dedicated the rest of her life to serving the poor and people suffering from leprosy. Kinga lived to be 68 years old, which was considered then as a fairly long life.

In the middle ages, miners continued to dig out Wieliczka salt deposits. It was soon discovered that the miners were not susceptible to the black plague that took 50 million lives in Europe, (and their salt mining horses lived up to 6 years longer than their counterparts above ground). In the end Kinga was right: salt is necessary for good health, making it worth more than any jewels and riches in the world. She was canonized on June 16th, 1999 by Pope John Paul II.

PRECIOUS COMMODITY

Today it is hard to imagine that in the past, salt was as valuable as gold and silver. We have plenty of it now, but once, wars were waged over this valuable commodity. Salt trade was subject to many restrictive laws, and the mines were the property of kings and princes. Salt made tempers run high, because it not only added flavor to dishes, but was also used to preserve food.

Wieliczka Salt Mine was the crown jewel of Polish rulers. They drew a huge income from it and in the Middle Ages, they made sure it was a well organized enterprise where the first workers unions were created to protect miners ( Żupy krakowskie”). Revenue  from the mine was used to develop the city of Cracov, founding the second-oldest central European university ( Jagiellonian University), construction of so called Cloth Hall that was a major center of international trade (an old version of today’s stock exchange) and a giant supermarket just to mention a few.

With the passage of time new ideas were born, kingdoms fell, new continents were discovered, while Wieliczka mine continued operations and grew into the mighty labyrinth that it is today. The realm that was created in the precious salt rock stunned its  famous visitors like Copernicus( Mikolaj Kopernik), Goethe and Chopin. Today it attracts millions of tourists from all corners of the earth. In 1978, Wieliczka Salt Mine was placed on the original UNESCO World Heritage List as one of ten most outstanding natural places in the world. The industrial chapter of the mine is now indefinitely closed. Today’s underground is primarily a historical monument, a respiratory hospital and an arena for extraordinary events.

TOURIST ATTRACTION FOR AGES

Monarchs, scientists and artists attracted by the fame and beauty of the underworld have been coming to Wieliczka for 600 years. Times and fashions change, but the modern tourists are delighted exactly by the same things that amazed their predecessors over the centuries. The salt mine is a living underground creation where over the centuries, several dozen places of worship were created using rock salt and wood as building materials. The crown jewel of the mine is St. Kinga’s chapel, which is entirely carved into salt block and called an underground cathedral of Poland.

Over the course of the centuries Wieliczka grew to become a subterranean salt city that houses a concert hall  that resonates with thousands of voices reflected off the crystal of salt and underground vaulted ceiling. The amazing sound of music in this environment cannot be compared to the best musical venues in the world. It also houses a health resort, basketball courts, restaurants, catering halls, event and convention rooms, interactive exhibits, game rooms, a library, museums and many magnificent works of art made out of salt.

A CRYSTAL TREASURE

In the 19th century, miners encountered Crystal Grottoes, filled with halite crystals formed in Miocene. To date, no similar chambers have been found anywhere in the world. The air in the mine, saturated with a salt mist, is very healthy and is the reason why the mine has been used as a healthcare facility since the 19th century.

MORE DURABLE THAN METAL AND CONCRETE

Many local forests were cut down to use the lumber for shoring up the corridors and chambers of the mine. Over the centuries a sizable forest was planted, since wood turned out to be one of the best materials for the construction of mine reinforcements. Wood also soaks up the salt and becomes so petrified that its hardness exceeds that of the hardest construction material, including steel and concrete which both decay in this environment.

LABYRINTH

The modern Wieliczka Salt Mine consists of nearly 2400 chambers and 178 miles of corridors. The salt labyrinth is spread over nine levels and reaches depths of 1073 feet. VIEW IT ON GOOGLE

Much can be said about the underground wonders of Wieliczka. The first reports of visits were written by Renaissance humanists, who tried to put the extraordinary things they have seen into words. Today we have pictures and video, as well as virtual tour of of the tourist route through Google Street View, but the mine is best seen and experienced by a visit in this Temple of Faith and Ethos of Work that set a precedence on an intentional scale.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

In 1843, Dr. Felix Boczkowski discovered that the presence of the air in the salt mines in Wieliczka, Poland, saturated with ionized salt particles, had healing effects on people with pulmonary and respiratory disorders. He opened the first underground hospital in the excavated chambers of the mine. Today, the Wieliczka hospital operates as the largest and worlds only underground rehabilitation and treatment center. It is the world leader in providing innovative rehabilitation and treatment of respiratory diseases, by combining both the natural micro-climate of the underground salt excavations and top practices of contemporary medicine. It is operated by the Polish Ministry of Health.  

The Importance of Salt in our lives

Salt contains elements essential to life: iodine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, selenium and copper. When they are lacking or in short supply in the human body, it can lead to serious problems with physical and mental health. For example, the selenium contained in salt has a huge impact on halting the skin aging processes. As a result, Polish health resorts and health and beauty centers offer treatments involving selenium-saturated salt solutions.

Many tourist guidebooks on Poland feature detailed descriptions of the therapeutic value of natural salt caves in Wieliczka and Bochnia. They offer comprehensive treatment of asthma, allergies, respiratory diseases, skin diseases/blemishes, and obesity. The health resort is located 135 meters underground, in a chamber called Lake Wessel. It offers unique therapeutic benefits, and has a great aesthetic appeal.

Depending on the severity of a patient’s condition, an average stay in the underground hospital ranges from seven hours to three weeks. The air is absolutely pure, saturated with therapeutic ions of sodium chloride, magnesium, calcium and other micro elements. Expert care is administered by doctors and physiotherapists who provide treatments for the body and soul that cannot be compared with anything available at a conventional health care facility.

WIELICZKA AND BEYOND

The mine in Wieliczka is unique on a global scale, but the therapeutic properties of salt are successfully used by other centers. Due to the advanced technology and increasing demand in salt therapy, caves are now constructed above ground using timber and large quantities of crystal rock salt. The special atmosphere of these artificial caves is due not only to the great care taken in recreating the landscape forms of natural caves, but also in a beneficial micro climate necessary for proper salt ionization for the best effect therapeutically.

To make it utterly relaxing, beautiful lighting brings out the structures of lumps of crystal salt clusters, while soft music is played and the temperature is pleasantly higher compared to natural caves. The space is saturated with bio-elements necessary to maintain human health and an atmosphere of absolute relaxation is created; free of the unpleasant wind and noise of underground climates. Therapeutic benefits of staying in salt caves include.

•Treatment of respiratory diseases and allergies/convalescence after serious illness

• Treatment of neuroses and neurotic states

• Rehabilitation for sport/accident injuries

• Alleviating physical and emotional exhaustion resulting from working in highly stressful  jobs

History of Floating

The history of flotation begins in the early 1950’s. Neurophysiological scientists wanted to know what keeps the brain going, and the origin of its energy sources. Some hypothesized that the brain’s energy sources are biological and internal, and do not depend upon the outside environment. It was argued that if all stimuli were cut off from the brain, then the brain would go to sleep.

John C. Lilly, a medical practitioner and neuropsychiatrist, decided to test this hypothesis and, with this in mind, created an environment which isolated an individual from external stimulation. From here, he studied the origin of consciousness and its relation to the brain.

In 1954, to prove his theories, he built the first isolation tank at the U.S. Institute of Mental Health. He observed the connection between consciousness and the brain. In his early research, Lilly studied the factors influencing the efficiency of sleep, trying to discover why humans need 7 to 8 hours of slumber a day. During his research, by examining cerebral activity, he proved that our brain perceives external stimuli even when asleep. These stimuli make the regeneration process less efficient.

External stimuli are first incorporated to our dreams, subsequently becoming more conscious, before finally awakening us. The human sight center shows perceptible activity even when exposed to minimal light; despite being asleep, the retina still sends signal to the brain. The research established that an environment which is sealed off from external stimuli yields more efficient rest.

Lily’s real breakthrough was the discovery that gravity is the main source of stimulus for our bodies. While asleep, our bodies are contorted into an unnatural position because of gravity. The bed presses on our body, releasing millions of stimuli to our brains. Two of the main sources of health problems are earth’s gravitational field and our erect posture. These cause back conditions, hanging bellies, aching legs and joints and strained muscles.

During flotation, the body is spared from the effects of gravity. Gravitation engages 80-90% of the central nervous system, even during sleep. The beneficial effects of flotation can be found not just in man-made conditions, but also in nature: Gaet’ale Pond in Ethiopia, Lake Redba- Senegal, Lake Vanda and Don Juan Pond in  Anctartica, Garabokazkol- Turkmenistan, the Dead Sea in Jordan and Lake Tehirghiol in Romania are the saltiest water bodies in the world.

The state of weightlessness experienced while floating alleviates all physical stress on the spine, shoulders and hips. Back muscles also relax, allowing the spinal column to assume its natural position. Brain waves are altered after flotation to become similar to those between awake and sleeping states. The medical science defines it as  “Theta State” meditation. Buddhist monks strive to achieve this state for years. During flotation therapy, the body reaches the state on its own. Many people need this unique state of deep mental and physical relaxation which results in clearer thoughts, realizations, and improved problem-solving.

One hour of flotation is the equivalent of 4 to 6 hours of sleep. The pleasant sensations experienced during sessions are the result of endorphins, which, when released, cause natural feelings of happiness. Evolution starts the same way for each life form. Nature creates a floating environment for human fetuses in the womb, or in the egg for birds. The central nervous system is immersed in a warm womb fluid, buffering us from external shocks. In the flotation tank, you are suspended in your own liquid cocoon, protected from all outside influence. Quiet. Warm. Safe.

Floating can be like a return to a prenatal state, which is quite profound for many. During 60 minute float sessions, some people have out of body experiences. Ultimately, this has a sufficient impact on human health. Dr. Lilly found that you can create a sense of well-being. “Somewhere deep in our brain is a mechanism capable of generating internal experiences completely independent of the outside world, and this settled the issue of what happens in profound physical isolation. The isolated mind becomes highly active and creative.”

The first isolation tank (float tank) was built in 1954 at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. After 10 years of experimentation without taking any psychoactive substances, Dr. Lilly tried floating in combination with a psychedelic agent. He found that floating alone, without taking any substances, was a much better experience because of a non-disturbed consciousness. Floating remained exclusively in the laboratory setting, until 1972, when Lilly partnered up with Glenn and Lee Perry. The first commercial float tank was developed a year later.

Peter Suedfeld and Roderick Borrie of the University of British Columbia began experimenting on the therapeutic benefits of isolation tanks in the late 1970’s. They named their technique “Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy” (REST). The 80’s was a decade of tremendous growth for flotation. Research was continued by testing the float tank’s effect on everything from physical recovery, to stress relief, smoking cessation and susceptibility to hypnosis. A new chapter for the float tank industry began in the early 2000’s, offering the highest technology float tanks and promoting the utmost relaxing spa experience.