Salt sculpture as an example of mining heritage in Wieliczka

Abstract

One of the characteristic elements of the interior design of the Wieliczka Salt Mine are sculptures made of salt. The phenomenon of carving in salt popular with Wieliczka miners contributed to the attempt to describe this process. The research problem raised in this paper is to determine whether salt carving can be considered an element of the mining heritage
of Wieliczka, or whether - in general - it fits into the categories defined for the area of heritage, understood as a process in which elements of the past are consciously transformed for contemporary use and can manifest themselves in different ways. The transformations that have taken place in the city and in the mine, especially the significant reduction of the mining sphere for tourism, have contributed to transformations in the cultural area, including the evolution of mining practices. The text analyzes this issue based on the literature and empirical materials collected during field research.