WIELICZKA SALT MINES
The Wieliczka Salt Mines are salt mines in the city of Wieliczka, 10 km from Krakow. Mining of rock salt in local mines began in 1280; the income from it amounted to a third of the royal treasury. The salt mines have been a famous tourist attraction since the 15th century; noble Poles considered it their duty to visit them. Salt mining here on an industrial scale was stopped in 1992. Today, the mines are a labyrinth of underground corridors and are about 350 km long, but only 2 km of them are accessible to tourists.
The depth of the adits reaches 327 m; the mines have nine levels, on which there are more than 2000 chambers. The mines are decorated with figures, sculptures and bas-reliefs made from single pieces of rock salt. Real thematic rooms were created in the used chambers by the hands of craftsmen.
The excursion route runs through 20 historical adits located on three levels at a depth of 64 m to 135 m. Along the way of tourists there are lakes, rooms and chapels with salt figures. In particular, the huge chapel of St. Kinga is of interest. The mines have a restaurant, a cinema, concert halls, and souvenir shops. On the fifth level (211 m underground), there is a sanatorium where patients with allergies and asthma are treated with healing air. In 1978, the mines were included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
STARKOVKA RIVER
In the 1970s, the area around the river was heavily developed as an industrial zone. In particular, a thermal power plant was built very close by. The river was placed in a square box, covered with earth on top, and they began to build something on top for the thermal power plant. Now the areas above the river are rented out, and all hatches are covered with concrete slabs. The length of the river is approximately 700 meters. Most of it goes in a straight line, without drops. In the middle, there is a small turn (30 degrees) and several carts left over from construction. The current of the river itself is not very strong, as a result of which the bottom is heavily silted.
CATACOMBS OF ODESSA
Odessa catacombs are one of the most mysterious places in the Ukrainian city. This is an extensive network of tunnels and labyrinths under the city, which were formed after stone mining. Although researchers claim that some catacombs – huge interconnected cavities – may be much older than Odessa itself.
The Odessa catacombs are in many ways superior to their European counterparts. Their length reaches almost three thousand kilometres. For comparison, the Roman ones extended only 300 kilometers, the Parisian ones – 500.
The first labyrinth inhabited by people dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. It is very difficult to establish the exact date – in those days, there were slums here where city residents hid from the plague epidemic. During the Great Patriotic War, partisans hid in the catacombs. However, for them, who did not know the peculiarities of the labyrinths, the catacombs often became traps. Many units remained here forever, unable to find a way out.
It is known that a record for being in the catacombs belongs to one of the NKVD detachments – people stayed here for 13 months. But this story is a big exception to the rule. In darkness and dampness, a person’s perception of space and time is sharply disrupted. Here, you can easily go crazy without waiting for salvation. Rescue operations in the catacombs are carried out a couple of times a year and thank God; they always end successfully.
The labyrinths take away people who are too arrogant about walking through the catacombs. Desperate daredevils who do not know the road quickly get lost and then fall into panic. This only aggravates their situation since chaotic throwing confuses travellers even more. That is why it is strictly forbidden to go far into the catacombs on your own! This can only be done with an instructor or guide – people who professionally explore abandoned tunnels.
In addition to the intricate, branched network, the catacombs are fraught with another danger – a weak upper layer. Collapsed ground can cause serious injury. Only a few people know about dangerous areas, and even then, not all of them. Therefore, an independent journey through the tunnels can end in a very unpleasant surprise.
But these dangers still do not stop inquisitive romantics who are attracted by the atmosphere of mystery, mysticism and magic. The catacombs are filled with legends about ghosts, restless souls, and figures of people wandering in the darkness who cannot find a way out. These stories excite the imagination and attract tourists.
The walls of the catacombs themselves sometimes make you shudder. The hewn stones resemble the faces of people frozen in horror. Some grin evilly or shout furiously, urging travellers to leave. For Odessa, the catacombs are very useful – there are cellars for storing cognac, warehouses, and communication points. Research into the tunnels is ongoing. They say that Odessa has two stories – on the ground and underground. And the second is sometimes much more interesting and mysterious than the first.
AK-MONAI QUARRIES
On the coast of the Azov Sea there are Ak-Monai quarries, 30 kilometers of workings underground. This place is rich in legends. They say that the tunnels of the Ak-Monai quarries can lead to the Adzhimushkaya quarries or even to Cape Opuk.
These lands began to be developed during the time of Catherine II. Troubled soldiers and unwanted sailors worked here. They hollowed out rocks by hand, providing building materials for all neighbouring villages and Feodosia. At the same time, several thousand convicts worked at the Ak-Monai quarries. Work stopped only during the Great Patriotic War.
It is still unclear how these huge corridors and caves could have been carved out by hand. Some halls can easily accommodate several trucks. The quarries are quite safe to visit, as they have many exits to the surface. The greatest wealth of the Ak-Monai quarries is the drawings and inscriptions made by convicts more than a hundred years ago.
MAMAI QUARRIES
The Mamai quarries became famous due to the fact that during the Civil War, they were the base for the deployment of a partisan detachment called the “Red Helmets”, which operated in the Evpatoria region.
The extraction of stone for construction began in the 19th century. It was carried out only in a closed way. Stone was mined mainly with hand tools. The partisan detachment was headed by the former stone miner Petrichenko, who knew the underground passages well. The partisans fought against detachments of Denikin, Wrangel and interventionists, raiding their convoys.
One day, enemies surrounded the Mamai quarries and took control of the only source of water – the well. What did the invaders do to smoke the partisans out of the dungeon? When the partisans realized that the battle was unequal, they decided to break through. The exhausted fighters entered the last battle, and almost all died, but they did not surrender to the invaders.
When hostilities ended on the Crimean land, the stone was again mined in the Mamai quarries, especially since it was of very good quality. Production ceased only from 1941 to 1944. After the liberation of the city, the stone began to be mined again. They still don’t stop. However, next to the active adits, there is a huge number of old abandoned passages.
OLIVINE QUARRIES
On the outskirts of Kerch, there is Olivinskaya Rock, in which stone was mined using open and closed methods. Underground stone workings went 300 meters deep into the rock, and the height of such a tunnel was 6 meters.
In 1860, a ban was issued on underground mining of stone in the depths of the Olivinskaya rock. Production did not stop but decreased noticeably. So, if at the beginning of the year, there were 60 saws working at the mine, then in March, there were only 23 left. Stones from the Olivinsky quarries were very expensive. A cubic fathom, that is, almost ten cubic meters, was valued at 36 rubles. It was necessary to pay the landowner on whose lands the Olivinsky quarries were located. The operation of each saw costs three silver rubles monthly.
A sawyer could produce between 300 and 500 stones of a given size. Transportation was also not cheap. It was necessary to pay 1.5-2 kopecks for each piece of stone to be transported by oxen. Up to 20 stones were placed on carts with a pair of oxen, and the cart made a maximum of three trips per day. Despite the high price, Olivina stones were in great demand because they had high strength and beautiful colours. Now, the mine is completely abandoned and open to the public.
