If you don’t have a salt mine, go get one…
I’d get one too, or at least rent one during these times of orange and red heat alerts! It would be way cheaper than going to Iceland 🙂
Luckily, work brought me to Cluj on a hot August day, and of course, I made a quick trip to Salina Turda. A salt mine I never managed to visit before, unlike the one in Slănic Prahova.
TURDA SALT MINE
I read a bit beforehand, so I wouldn’t go there completely clueless, and I find out that the salt deposit in Turda has been exploited for a very long time. At least systematically, since the Roman occupation!
After that, the poor salt mine went through many phases – it was closed in 1932 (because the equipment was seriously outdated and competition was strong), then it was completely abandoned; later, it became a shelter for the population during World War II. For a while, it was even used as a cheese storage facility! Since 1992, it has been reopened to the public, both for tourism and therapeutic purposes.
I understand that we should thank the European Union, because they gave us funds to modernize the mine in 2008, so we’ve been able to enjoy its new look since 2010.
The ticket cost me 50 lei and would have cost 60 if I had gone on the weekend. No discounts for “people who can’t stand the heat”. Only for students and retirees (30 lei).
I was informed right at the entrance about the rules of the place: no smoking, no eating or drinking alcohol – in case I have some palincă hidden in my clothes… I am not allowed to scratch the salt walls or write on them, and I cannot damage the furniture. (Unfortunately, the photo above shows otherwise…)
Also important: I’m not allowed to leave with any salt taken from the mine. Phew, good thing I left my tote bag at home 🙂 Seriously though, they don’t mess around: if they catch you with salt in your pocket, you’re paying a fine of 200-400 lei from the other pocket.
I walk into the mine thinking this is probably the one place where it would be perfect to be greeted with bread and salt… In abundance!
The main entrance is Durgău, but if you’re curious to see the old entrance too, perfect, you’ll start getting in your daily steps: the two are connected by a salt corridor 885 meters long.
Slowly, I start putting on more clothes. First the hoodie, then the jacket. Thinking about the scorching heat outside, I feel like I’ve been teleported to Planet Cold.
TEREZIA MINE
The first mine, the first “wow”! I’m inside a bell-shaped mine (based on its form), with a depth of 90 meters, at the bottom of which a subterranean lake has formed, 5-8 meters deep.
Exploited since 1690, the Terezia Mine is impressive due to its height, its mysterious (perhaps even eerie) atmosphere, the lake, and the illuminated wooden structures – all of which probably inspire many people to come visit. It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.
There’s even a small dock here, where you can rent a little boat and row around the lake, which has a diameter of approximately 70 meters. And a salinity of 260 g/L.
To be honest, the boat ride on the lake feels a bit creepy to me, but I can see there are plenty of eager people!
It costs 30 lei for a 20-minute rowing session on the lake. A maximum of 3 people are allowed per boat for that price.
I’m curious if anyone has ever fallen out of a boat. “Yes!”, replies the person in charge of handing out the boats. But fortunately, no tragic endings.
RUDOLF MINE
If you’re not in the mood for a romantic boat ride, head further into Rudolf Mine, which began operation in 1867.
Here, it feels like a kind of amusement park! There’s a sports field, bowling lanes, a playground for kids, even a mini-golf course. And that’s not all!
I glance at the price list and discover even more:
- Mini-golf course rental – 20 minutes, 20 lei per person
- Ping pong table – 30 minutes = 20 lei
- Bowling lane – 20 minutes, 20 lei per person
- Billiard table rental – 1 minute = 1 leu 🙂 That pay-per-minute system is quite cool.
- Rudolf Mine sports field rental – 1 hour = 200 lei
If you like sports as much as salt in the eyes, just pay 15 lei and sit nicely in the Ferris Wheel.
I have to admit, this Ferris Wheel surprised me. A Ferris wheel inside a salt mine? Never would’ve guessed! I’ve read it’s the only underground panoramic wheel in the world! Awesome, right?
In the 8 minutes a ride lasts, you can admire the 20-meter-high walls with salt hanging like… hold on, I’m stuck… stalactites or stalagmites – I never knew which was which. Anyway, those things that drip from the ceiling and still hang there 🙂
What I also find awesome here in Rudolf Mine is that there’s even a “concert hall”! A sort of amphitheater with a capacity of 180 seats! And get this: the seats are heated!
For the price of 1,500 lei per hour, the amphitheater can be rented by anyone who wants to host conferences, film screenings, or maybe a version of The Voice…
SHOPPING
There are also places where you can buy souvenirs. Lots of salt-based products, of course, plus magnets and other Romanian-themed (salt-free) goodies.
Guess what? I bought something too. My most important purchase: a little cloth pouch filled with salt, which, when placed next to your pillow, is supposed to help you fall asleep faster. Fingers crossed!
If your legs can handle it, you can descend into the mine by stairs – many narrow wooden steps. It’s the equivalent of 13 floors, each marked with the year in which that level was excavated.
Hallelujah! There’s also an elevator. Panoramic!
If you’re afraid of heights, you might not be able to enjoy every area of the salt mine.
There’s a platform from which you get a great view of the Terezia Mine, and you can also walk along the long walkway above the Rudolf Mine. The height is dizzying, and the mesh that ruins your photos doesn’t feel very reassuring, I think it’s just there to stop people like me from dropping their phones on someone’s head while trying to get that perfect shot…
GHIZELA MINE
It’s something I haven’t seen myself, but I hear it’s pretty cool! I read that it was opened in 1857, with the plan to resemble the Rudolf Mine, but the work was eventually abandoned.
It’s only been open to visitors for a few years now, and only with a guide, in small groups, for an additional fee on top of the entrance ticket (20 lei). And the only way down is by stairs.
FRANZ JOSEF GALLERY
In the second half of the 19th century, this horizontal gallery was built to further facilitate salt extraction and its transport to the surface. The gallery was originally 780 meters long, but after extensions, it reached nearly one kilometer.
This is also the area that, between 1948-1992, was used as a cheese storage facility.
Through a corridor with salt walls (what else would it be?), you reach the Iosif Mine, which descends 115 meters below the surface.
Access is restricted, you can stare all you want through the balconies carved into the salt, but you won’t see much.
Due to the shape of this Mine and the lack of major connections to other mining chambers, the acoustics here produce a strong echo, which is why it’s also called the Echo Hall.
Standing near its “mouth”, I start shouting things like everyone else, just to hear the echo and count it. Apparently, high-pitched sounds can echo up to 20 times! Wow, this place would be perfect for a wedding! Can you imagine calling out the gift amounts? How many times would it echo?… What a mess it would be when trying to tally the money 🙂
Until weddings happen here, Turda Salt Mine continues to offer treatments for many people with various health issues. On the way out, I saw part of the treatment area. Access is restricted to patients only.
I step outside. A wave of heat hits me like I just walked into an oven! And a long, hot workday awaits. Just to rub salt in the wound – and I’ve got plenty of that here…
