Another remarkable carving, this time a take on The Last Supper.
The work and patience that must have gone into the creation of these sculptures is extraordinary.
The work and patience that must have gone into the creation of these sculptures is extraordinary.
One wonders what the miners would have thought of their work going on general display?
They came to be quite used to it, in fact, even during the mine’s busiest period in the nineteenth century.
The cream of Europe ’s thinkers visited the site –
you can still see many of their names in the old visitor’s books on display.
These reliefs are perhaps among some of the most iconographic
works of Christian folk art in the world and really do deserve to be shown.
It comes as little surprise to learn that the mine was placed on the
original list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites back in 1978.
works of Christian folk art in the world and really do deserve to be shown.
It comes as little surprise to learn that the mine was placed on the
original list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites back in 1978.
Not all of the work is relief-based.
There are many life sized statues that must have taken
a considerable amount of time – months, perhaps even years,
to create. Within the confines of the mine there is also much
to be learned about the miners from the machinery and tools
to be learned about the miners from the machinery and tools
that they used – many of which are on display and are centuries old.
A catastrophic flood in 1992 dealt the last blow to commercial
salt mining in the area and now the mine functions
purely as a tourist attraction.
Brine is, however, still extracted from the mine – and then
evaporated to produce some salt, but hardly on the ancient scale.
If this was not done, then the mines would soon become flooded once again.
Not all of the statues have a religious or symbolic imagery attached to them.
The miners had a sense of humor, after all!
Here can be seen their own take on the legend of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The intricately carved dwarfs must have seemed to some of the
miners a kind of ironic depiction of their own work.
The miners even threw in a dragon for good measure!
Certainly, they may have whistled while they did it but the
conditions in the salt mine were far from comfortable and
the hours were long – the fact that it was subterranean
could hardly have added to the excitement of going to work each morning.
To cap it all there is even an underground lake,
lit by subdued electricity and candles.
This is perhaps where the old legends of lakes to
the underworld and Catholic imagery of the saints work together
the underworld and Catholic imagery of the saints work together
to best leave a lasting impression of the mine.
How different a few minutes reflection here must have been to the
noise and sweat of everyday working life in the mine