Explore an 800-year-old salt mine with Google Street View
Google has added the 13th-century Wieliczka Salt Mine, including its glorious cathedral carved entirely out of rock salt, to Street View.
(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)
Google has added the 13th-century Wieliczka Salt Mine, including its glorious cathedral carved entirely out of rock salt, to Street View.
As part of its UNESCO World Heritage series and World Wonders Project, Google has added the 800-year-old (or so) Wieliczka Salt Mine to Street View for a virtual tour of its wonders.
The mine, which opened in the 13th century, operated up until 2007, when it had to close due to flooding. It is over 287 kilometres long and reaches 327 below the surface, and hidden in its twists and turns is a treasure trove carved right out of the rock salt.
This includes statuary, three chapels and a cathedral carved out of natural grey salt, dating back to the mine's early days and still occasionally worked on by contemporary artists. It's something we'd dearly love to visit — and, thanks to Street View, we can now virtually explore a small portion of the warrens.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine joins other heritage sites, such as the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, the Grand Canyon in the US and Stonehenge in the UK.
Head over to this link to take a tour for yourself.