Żupy krakowskie
The Żupy krakowskie (German Royal Cracow Saltworks ) were the oldest and largest mining company in Poland. Since 1978 the salt mine in Wieliczka UNESCO - World Heritage Site . The World Heritage was expanded in 2013 to include the Salzgrafenschloss and salt mine in Bochnia and now bears the title Royal Salt Mines Wieliczka and Bochnia . Both mines illustrate the development of mining techniques in Europe from the 13th to the 20th century.
history
From the 14th century to 1772 the salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia were united as Żupy krakowskie, the Royal Krakow Saltworks , and were the largest mining company in Poland.
On April 22, 1368, Casimir the Great issued a mountain code that regulated salt production and trade . The administration of the salt pans was incumbent on a Żupnik , who had his seat in the Wieliczka Castle (Zamek Żupny). The income from the salt trade, which generated a third of the state's income during its heyday from the 14th to the 16th century, was used to cover the costs of building the royal Wawel Castle , the university and the city fortifications in Krakow, as well as the military pay .
From 1515 to 1523 was Hans Boner Żupnik, who also reformed the financial system in Poland. The company experienced its heyday in the 16th century until the middle of the 17th century. At that time there were 2,000 miners working in the mine and production exceeded 30,000 tons of salt. The salt was loaded onto ships on the Vistula , but also delivered to Ruthenia and Hungary .
With the first Polish partition (1772), the Cracow saltworks fell to the House of Austria and the Wieliczka and Bochnia mines were separated.
20th century
After 1918 the mines became state property of the Republic of Poland, which in 1932 reserved the state monopoly on salt. Modern salt production was discontinued in Bochnia in 1988 and in Wieliczka in 1993. Since then, the mines have been used exclusively for tourism , as show mines , sanatoriums or hotels.
Coordinates: 49 ° 59 ′ 1.9 ″ N , 20 ° 3 ′ 34.8 ″ E