Zamek Żupny
The Salzgrafenschloss Wieliczka ( Zamek Żupny ) in the southern Polish city of Wieliczka ( German Groß Salze ) is the administrative building of one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Since 2013 it belongs to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and 25 km away Salt Mine Bochnia to UNESCO - World Heritage Site Royal salt mines of Wieliczka and Bochnia . The mines illustrate the development of mining techniques in Europe from the 13th to the 20th century. From 1248 until its closure in the 1990s, u. a. won salt in Bochnia .
history
From the 14th century to 1772 the Wieliczka and Bochnia salt mines were united as Żupy krakowskie, the Royal Krakow Salt Pans , 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 (salt count) , who had his seat in the salt count castle Wieliczka. The first construction phases of the castle were built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and extensions were made into the 19th century.
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 the mine employed 2,000 miners and production exceeded 30,000 tons of salt.
20th century
After 1918 the mines became state property of the Republic of Poland, which in 1932 reserved the state monopoly on salt. The administration was located in the Salzgrafenschloss until 1945, which was bombed that year. From 1968 to 1988 salt was still extracted by brining with water.
UNESCO world heritage
In March 1988 the castle was listed as a historical monument. In 2013, UNESCO expanded the Wieliczka World Heritage Site to include the salt mine in Bochnia and the Salzgrafenschloss.
Plant and use
The castle was renovated until 1992. As Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka , it now shows the history of salt mining in the former Royal Krakow Salt Pans. Regular events include festivals .
literature
- Edyta Giżycka, Iwona Pawłowska: Tajemnice Zamku Żupnego w Wieliczce. Wieliczka 2005.
- Łukasz Walczy: The Cracow salt pans Wieliczka and Bochnia in the initial period of the Austrian administration, (1772-1809). Verlag für Geschichte und Politik, 2001. 201 pages.
- Johann Nepomuk Hrdina: History of the Wieliczka Saltworks . Vienna 1842. ( digitized )
Web links
- Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka (Official website of the museum, English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kurt Schlünkes: natural paradises and cultural treasures of mankind. The 19 new UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Retrieved July 22, 2013 .
Coordinates: 49 ° 59 ′ 1.9 ″ N , 20 ° 3 ′ 34.7 ″ E