Salina Veche

Salina Veche is an old salt mine, located in Slănic, Prahova County, Romania, just 100 km north of Bucharest. The salt mine is closed for extraction purposes, but is open for visitors, featuring a microclimate with natural air-conditioning and constant temperature and atmospheric pressure throughout the year. It is made up of two levels, named Unirea and Mihai. Many of the visitors come for its supposed healing effects due to the purity of the air. Throughout the mine you will find various types of equipment for recreational activity such as playground equipment and some ping-pong tables. One area is sectioned off and is being used for medical patients with lung cancer to come and rest. The main elevator shaft is unique in that it has no metallic parts due to rust. After an elevator accident in 2014, minivans are used to spiral visitors up and down.

The work for the opening of the Unirea salt mine started in 1938 and the exploitation of the salt from this mine was performed between 1943-1970.

The exploitation was done downward from the ceiling to the basis in successive slices of 2.2 meters with a horizontal cutting at the basis and vertically along the walls. The de-rocking was made through shooting. The transportation of the resulting material was effected with the tubs up the shaft using a cage to the installation of preparation and expedition.

The mine is composed of 14 chambers with trapezoidal profiles, having a 10 m opening to the ceiling and 32 m to the ground, a height of 54 m and a wall inclination angle of 60 degrees. The shore difference between the surface and the base of the mine is of 208 m and it is covered by the elevator in 90 seconds. Since 2014 the elevator is out of order. The excavated space occupies a volume of 2.9 millions m³ and it is extended on a surface of 78,000 m².

After 1970, the mine becomes a touristic objective, offering exceptional natural conditions as a result of its microclimate rich in aerosols, which proved its well-known efficiency in treating the respiratory diseases. The air-conditioning of the mine is natural, with a constant temperature during the whole year of 12 °C, an atmospheric pressure of 730 mmHg and a humidity with an average of 10% lower than the surface average.

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Wikipedia