Salina Turda is an underground amusement park built in a salt mine in Romania.
Salina Turda is an old salt mine located deep underground in the municipality of Turda, Romania. In 1992, the mine was opened to the public and transformed into a veritable amusement park.
As with many natural resources in Europe, the Romans were the first to exploit the Turda mine. They began excavating the salt mine in the 2nd century AD and, following the fall of the Roman Empire, other regional powers continued mining, tapping into the 3 billion tons of salt and creating a huge underground world.
The Turda salt mine, apart from its gigantic size, has a relatively simple history. No explosives were ever used to excavate the mine, and everything was done by hand or machine, making its size all the more impressive. One of the mine’s many chambers measures 80 by 40 metres, with a height of 49 metres.
After being abandoned in 1932, the mine reopened to tourists in 1992. Thanks to a €4,820,000 ($6 million) renovation, the salt mine is now a major tourist center for halotherapy (salt therapy), a treatment for allergies and asthma that uses the mine’s ionized air, pressure and humidity. The health benefits of salt mining were discovered during a study of miners in the Wieliczka salt mine, revealing improved respiratory capacity.
In addition to the spa inside the caves, part of the old mining equipment has been transformed into a kind of amusement park. One of the most important features is a panoramic wheel that allows tourists to see the stalagmites that have formed over more than 1,000 years of the mine’s history. An underground lake (in the Mina Maria Tereza) also allows paddlers to explore the mine a little further.
The mine also features an amphitheater, sports arena, mini-golf course and bowling lanes, among other facilities, enabling visitors to discover the various aspects of the mine. The museum actually comprises three mines: the deepest is the Terezia mine (120 meters), followed by theAnton mine (108 meters) and the Rudolf mine (42 meters).
Over the past 20 years, the cave has grown in popularity and attracted some famous visitors. For a time, rumors even circulated that Christopher Nolan’s new film, Batman, would be filmed in the mine, with the Salina Turda playing the role of the new Batcave, Batman’s cave. In fact, film buffs are sure to enjoy an evening visit to the mine.
The mine can be visited from the city of Cluj-Napoca (35-40 minutes by car).
Source images : NextTripTourism, DesignBoom