Slanic Prahova is one of the most exciting travel destinations in Romania. The town is located 45 km NE of Ploiesti and it is famous for hosting the “Unirea Salt Mine”, which is the largest salt mine in Europe.
The name of the mine “Unirea” Means in Romanian “Unification”. The mine is a health spa formed of 14 rooms which host a sanatorium for the treatment of respiratory diseases. The entire area of the mine is 78000 square meters with an excavated space of 2.9 millions cubic meters of salt.
The mine was opened in 1938 and in 1970 it became touristic attraction, modified to host both visitors and patients. I certainly hope you will never have to visit the mine as a patient, but as a tourist. This is certainly a destination to remember.
To reach the “heart” of the mine you descend 208 meters. Wear clothes suitable for 12°C – a temperature constant all year round. In the mine you will be able to admire the works of sculptor Iustin Nastase – sculpture in salt – exhibited in “Genesis” one of the 14 rooms of the mine. The sculptures depict relevant elements of the Romanians’ Dacian and Roman ancestry.
Not far from the Unirea Salt Mine, there is Mihai – a second salt mine even older than Unirea. Mihai was named after Romanian ruler Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul) who was the first to unify the three Romanian provinces of Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia in 1600.
The mine was opened first in 1912. Till 1942 when Unirea was officially opened more than 462000 cubic meters of salt had been excavated. The Mihai Salt Mine was also the first salt mine in Romania illuminated with electric lighting.
In 1994 both mines suffered severe damages because of salt dissolution under pluvial waters. From the two, Unirea was damaged the most. It took four years to evacuate the water and to completely drain the flooded mine. The site was reopened in the summer of 1998.
Slanic Prahova is not famous only for its salt mine, but also for the salt lakes and the picturesque landscapes surrounding it.
The 7 lakes: Baia Baciului, Baia Verde (3 lakes with the same name), Lacul Miresei (The Bride’s Lake), Baia Rosie and Baia Porcilor (Pig’s Lake) have a high level of salinity (80 ÷275 g / l). Bathing in the lakes is recommended for the treatment of degenerative and abarticular rheumatic diseases, post-traumatic conditions (after sprains, fractures of the limb bones), peripheral neurological (light paresis, condition after polyneuritis, old poliomyelitis sequels), gynecological disorders , respiratory disorders , dermathological diseases (psoriasis), vascular diseases and more.
Other tourist objectives are the Salt Mountain, the Bride’s Cave and the Colt’s Small Hill. The Bride’s Cave is now partially collapsed due to rain erosion, but its legend kept its beauty.
A beautiful maiden, in love with a poor shepherd, was forced by her parents to marry a rich boy. The legend says that in the day of the wedding the bride ran away and threw herself from the salt mountain into the lake that’s known today as the Bride’s Lake. The lake where she first met the shepherd is called Baia Baciului (The Shepherd’s Lake).
The health resort at Slanic Prahova is opened the whole year round and it certainly has something to offer to visitors of all ages.
This post is dedicated to one of Rounite’s faithful readers - Kathy Bousquet who suggested it and who also offered some of the images above that enhance the beauty of the entry. Thank you, Kathy.
Thank YOU Mihaela! Lovely to read about and brings back wonderful memories. I didn’t know the legend of the bride, but I did get to see some of the salt lakes — a little too cold, in the dead of winter, to take a dip, though!
Yeah, too bad Romanians don’t have a Finish Sauna tradition. I have experienced this - a Finish Sauna near a lake in the dead of the winter. Dipping into the water after 10 minutes in a small room heated up to 120°C is a memorable experience…
What an amazing post! I greatly enjoy taking what I call hot ‘oooh ahhhhh’ baths here at home. I use salt and baking soda then ooooh ahhhhh into it. It’s so relaxing plus that, the salts help draw out body toxins through the largest filter we have- our skin, the integumentary system. After I’ve had one of those baths, I’m history for a while snoozing like a baby in the horizontal position.
I only stay in the bath water until I feel beads of sweat forming on my face. I then rinse off with a cool shower in order to close my skin’s opened pores. In essence, I guess I can call it a type of sauna except that I’m submerged in the very hot bath water.
Oooooolala! ~:o)
*Hugs, Girlykins!*
Well, the lakes are not hot, but you do float even when you cannot swim. The salinity is so high that the water is basically keeping you from drawing. At least this is what I remember from my last visit. Oh.. I should mention I was 10 years old… LMAO.
You remember correctlly
Slanic Prahova has indeed beautiful surroundings. It’s very near to the place where my relatives live. There’s a hill between this two places that I use to climb whenever I go there. From this place you can see all of this little wonderful town.
I didn’t expect to find an articole about Slanic Prahova. Good job!