Szyb Daniłowicza w Wieliczce, Mining headframe in Wieliczka, Poland.
Szyb Daniłowicza is a steel headframe marking the entrance to Wieliczka's underground salt mine network. Modern elevators transport groups approximately 64 meters (210 feet) below the surface to access the extensive labyrinth of tunnels and chambers.
Built in 1635 during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, this shaft originally used horse-powered systems to haul salt to the surface. Its role as a central access point for miners shaped the underground infrastructure that visitors explore today.
This headframe connects visitors to the salt mining tradition that shaped Wieliczka for centuries. People used this entrance to descend into work that their families often spent lifetimes doing, making it a link to everyday labor and community life.
The entrance is easily accessible with elevators for group transport, but visitors should expect narrow passages and uneven ground underground. Solid footwear is necessary as flooring can be slippery in some areas and the air feels cool below ground.
The headframe received the name Archduke Rudolf's Shaft in 1887 but reverted to its original name in 1918 after Poland regained independence. This name change reflects the political shifts the region experienced during that period.
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