Salina Turda

Rudolf hall is 80 m (260 ft) long, 50 m (160 ft) wide and 40 m (130 ft) high.^[1]

Salina Turda is a salt mine located in Durgău-Valea Sărată area of Turda, second largest city in Cluj County, Romania. Since its opening in 1992, Salina Turda has been visited by about 2 million Romanian and foreign tourists.^[2]

Salina Turda was ranked by Business Insider as the most beautiful underground place in the world.^[3] Likewise, Salina Turda is ranked 22 among the most spectacular tourist destinations in the world.^[4]

History

Salt was first extracted here during the antiquity and the mine continuously produced table salt from the Middle Ages (the mine being first mentioned in 1075) to the early 20th century (1932).

The first document that speaks explicitly about the existence of a salt mine in Turda dates from 1 May 1271, being issued by the Hungarian chancellery. Documents reserved from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries that refer to the Turda salt mines mention that salines were arranged in Băile Sărate microdepression and on the south-eastern slope of the Valea Sărată. Operating rooms were placed on the sites of current salt lakes from the perimeters mentioned above. In the seventeenth century has begun first salt mining works on the north-western slope of Valea Valea Sărată, evidenced by shafts in the dome of Terezia room. In a short time is open the Sfântul Anton mine, perimeter where the mining activity continues until the first half of the twentieth century.^[5]

Since 1992, Salina Turda has been a halotherapy center and a popular tourist attraction. In 2008, the salt mine enters a broad process of modernization and improvement within the pale of program PHARE 2005 ESC large regional/local infrastructure, worth 6 million euros, being rendered to the tourist circuit starting with January 2010.

Main attractions

The main hall with salt stalactites on the left side

Iosif mine

The Iosif Mine can be visited through the balconies carved in salt and it is located next to the Franz Josef Gallery. This mine is a conical chamber of 112 meters deep with 67 meters at the base. Because its shape and lack of communications with the other major mining points this mine has a powerful sound echo, reason why it is also called "Echoes Room".

Crivac room

The crivac is one of the main points of interest in the salt mine.

The octagonal room hosts a winch called "crivac" or "gepel", rudimentary installation used for lifting salt rocks on the surface. It dates from 1881. This machine replaced another, smaller in size, that was installed in 1864. It is the only machine of this kind in all salt mines in Romania and probably in Europe that keeps in its original location.

Terezia mine

Salina Turda – view of the underground lake and UFO-shaped constructions

The tunnel of access

It is a conical mine (bell mine). Salt mining in this type of room left behind underground halls of impressive dimensions: 90 m height and 87 m diameter. The depth from the mouth of the shafts to the base of the mine is 112 m. A "cascade of salt", an underground lake, stalactites and salt efflorescences complete the inert equilibrium of the giant bell. The underground lake is between 0.5 and 8 m deep and is extended on about 80% of the operating room hearth area. In the center of the lake there is an island formed from residual salt deposited here after 1880, the year when salt mining ended in this room.

Rudolf mine

42 meters deep, 50 meters wide and 80 meters long, Rudolf mine is the last place where salt was exploited in Turda. Through the compartment of access, 172 steps lead to the mine hearth.^[6] On the walls of each of the 13 "floors" is marked the year when the respective level was exploited. On the north-western ceiling formed over the years salt stalactites, some even three meters long. The panoramic elevator offers tourists an overview of the whole mine.

Gizela mine

Gizela mine and technical rooms in the north-eastern extremity of the salt mine are similar to those of Rudolf mine, but much smaller because the salt exploration stopped shortly after the opening of this mine. Currently this mine is equipped as a spa treatment room with natural aerosols.

The underground gallery of this mine constitutes a geological reserve, access to tourists being not allowed in this room. It is situated 15 m above the transport gallery (Franz Josef gallery). Infiltrations of water on the extraction pit determined the deposition of efflorescences and formation of stalactites, and in the lake that partially covers the hearth of the room formed salt crystals. The room has received the tourist name of Crystal hall.

Political Scandals

Turda salt mine was renovated and it reopened its doors in 2010 after a 5.888.000 euro investment. ^[7] The project has been a main target of the various political groups in the city of Turda. The management of Salina Turda has been changed numerous times due to the political power-play in the city hall. Currently Salina Turda lays under a massive debt of approximately 8 million lei. ^[8]