From Neolithic Times, sodium chloride (table salt) was produced there from the upwelling brine. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, excavated from the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest operating Salt Mines. Throughout its history, the Royal Salt Mine was operated by the Żupy Krakowskie (Kraków Salt Mines) Company.
Due to falling salt prices and mine flooding, commercial salt mining was discontinued in 1996.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is now an Official Polish Historic Monument (Pomnik Historii) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its attractions include the shafts and labyrinthine passageways, displays of historic salt-mining technology, an underground lake, four chapels and numerous statues carved by miners out of the rock salt, and more recent sculptures by contemporary artists.
The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within 5 main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. The museum is a Centre of research specializing in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Charles Darwin. The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons and ornate architecture—sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature—both exemplified by the large Diplodocus cast that dominated the vaulted central hall before it was replaced in 2017 with the skeleton of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling.
The Natural History Museum Library contains extensive books, journals, manuscripts and artwork collections linked to the work and research of the scientific departments; access to the library is by appointment only. The museum is recognised as the pre-eminent Centre of natural history and research of related fields in the world.
Although commonly referred to as the Natural History Museum, it was officially known as British Museum (Natural History) until 1992, despite legal separation from the British Museum itself in 1963. Originating from collections within the British Museum, the landmark Alfred Waterhouse building was built and opened by 1881 and later incorporated the Geological Museum. The Darwin Centre is a more recent addition, partly designed as a modern facility for storing the valuable collections.
The beautiful Alhambra Palace is located in Granada, Spain, on the hill of La Sabica on the southeast side of the City. It was built in the 14th century and is the best preserved Arab Palace.
Its full name is "Qal'at-al-Hambra" which means "The Red Fortress" because of the shade of the Towers and Walls that surround the Whole Hill.
Today the Alhambra is the most visited Tourist Attraction in Spain and not unjustly since the whole image of the palaces seems to have come out of a fairy tale.
With a Festival to Celebrate just about everything from Fireflies and Ice Fishing to Bullfighting and Bodypainting, there’s no shortage of Mass Festivities occurring at any given time in South Korea.
But perhaps no other event rivals the country’s Boryeong Mud Festival in terms of international Attendance, Government spending and Good Clean (or should we say Dirty) Fun.
Get ready to get Muddy, as Culture Trip fills you in on how to make the most of your Trip to the Country’s Muddiest Celebration.
