It’s one of the world’s oldest seasonings, used in food preparation, religious ceremonies, and ritual cleansing. Legend says that Roman legionnaires were often paid partly in salt, giving rise to the word salarium, which we know as the modern word salary. Yes, that salt in the shaker on your dining table is part of a long and storied history that stretches back almost eight thousand years.
Sure, as a food additive, salt gets a bad rap now and again, mainly from concerned cardiologists and health advocates. Perhaps this should’ve stopped my college roommate from living on salt bagels and salted butter for four years [Ed. note: that sounds amazing], but it shouldn’t stop anyone from marveling at the wonder that is sodium chloride. Today there are monuments to salt—both man-made and natural—all around the world, whether they’re old salt mines, salt flats used to test the speed of rockets and race cars, or merely beautiful natural wonders.
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá – Colombia
Phote source: olliethebastard
One of the strangest places you’ll ever find a church? Within an old salt mine near Zipaquirá, in Colombia. The Salt Cathedral was built as a religious sanctuary, carved by miners as a place to worship while on the job, and originally consisted of several naves and a gigantic cross. While officials shut down the mine in the 1990s because of safety concerns, they also poured almost $300 million into expanding the cathedral and the halls of the sanctuary to accommodate eight thousand worshipers!
Since its construction, the mine has been expanded into a center for religious worship (even though the cathedral technically is not recognized by the church because it lacks a bishop) and also a museum for mining and geology. The complex is an immense source of pride for the Colombian people, and locals consider it one of the country’s great cultural attractions.
Wieliczka and Bochnia Salt Mine – Poland
Phote source:ll conte di Luna
Salt mines usually evoke thoughts of hardship and labor; judicial officials in the Middle Ages even sent prisoners to work in salt mines as punishment. But enter the Wieliczka and Bochnia salt mines just outside Kraków, Poland, and you’ll think you’ve entered opulent underground palaces. These mines are among the oldest continually operated salt mines in the world, having produced table salt since the Middle Ages.
The Wieliczka mines opened sometime in the thirteenth century and sport statues, figures, and impressive chandeliers—all carved out of rock salt. The mine shafts span over an unbelievable two hundred miles, but visitors can take in most of the splendor by walking along the much easier two-mile touring route, which has been visited over the years by the likes of Nicolaus Copernicus, Pope John Paul II, and former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Ever thought about having a party or even a wedding in a salt mine? The site has a chapel and reception room at the end of the tour.
The Bochnia Salt Mines are the oldest in Europe. While not as extensive as Wieliczka, they still have plenty of sights to offer, such as a church, various statues, and a preserved underground town that generations of miners called home from the twelfth century to just after World War I.
Can’t get enough of the underground Polish mine scene? Head on over to eastern Poland to the town of Chełm, a short drive from the Ukrainian border, and check out some of the most unique chalk mines in the world. Not as tasty as the salt mines, but the Chełm Chalk Tunnels still hold an important place in Polish history, most notably as a hideout for persecuted Jews during World War II.
