Educational Pathway “Zrobotyzowani” in cooperation with Bochnia Salt Mine Ltd. – Bochnia Salt Mine “Technically” – that is, 9 hours of a shift with Zrobotyzowani ⚒️
Can you combine a love of photography, industrial heritage and the thrill of exploration? Zrobotyzowani prove that you can! On Saturday, 15 November 2025, a group of enthusiasts of technology and industrial tourism set off with us on an unforgettable journey 307 metres underground – to the Bochnia Salt Mine, the oldest salt mine in Poland (its origins date back to 1248). As part of the “Salt and Light” event, participants explored the secrets of Level V “Podmoście” of the Bochnia mine, an area normally closed to tourists. It was an exclusive expedition packed with unique attractions – from historic mining machinery, through an underground lake with the salinity of the Dead Sea, all the way to a ride on a mining train in age-old tunnels. All this unfolded in the raw, authentic atmosphere of a working salt mine, where history meets modernity 😃. Join us for a recap of this extraordinary photo walk that delivered impressions we’ll remember for a long time!
In short – the most exciting attractions we experienced underground:
- Access to normally closed areas:
We visited the engine room of the Campi shaft (normally off-limits to tourists) as well as historic corridors and chambers on Level V (“Podmoście”) – parts of the mine where darkness and silence usually reign. It was a truly unique opportunity to see much more than on the standard visitor route! - An underground boat trip:
We sailed by boat on a hidden underground lake in Chamber 81, 120 metres below ground. It is the only underground boat crossing of its kind in Europe – a brine lake with a salinity of about 32% (like the Dead Sea) that made a huge impression on us. - A ride on an authentic mining train:
We felt the wind in our hair (despite the helmets 😉) while riding several hundred metres through the mine’s tunnels in an original mining train. The clatter of steel wheels and the lights flickering in the darkness created a one-of-a-kind atmosphere! - The magic of salt and light in the lens:
The entire photo walk was an opportunity to capture incredible shots 📸. We framed lamplight dancing on salt crystals, historic locomotives covered in patina, spectacular salt chambers and raw, untouched corners of the mine where no regular tourist ever goes. - Lunch in the Ważyn Chamber:
We had a hot meal 250 metres below ground in the mine’s largest chamber – Ważyn. This impressive “grotto” is 255 metres long and houses, among other things, an underground restaurant, a dance floor, a sports field and up to 300 beds for guests! A break in such a unique place is an attraction in itself.
Mining lamps ready to go – in the lamp room of the Bochnia Salt Mine, each participant received their own set: a helmet, a battery-powered lamp and an escape apparatus in case of smoke. It made us feel like real miners before we even started our descent.
Before we went underground
From early morning that day, there was a buzz of excitement over Bochnia. Our meeting point was the building at the Campi shaft, where we quickly gathered, checked tickets, did a headcount – and then we just had to wait for our guides.
When, after a short wait, the staff of the Bochnia Salt Mine arrived – the people who were to be our guardians during the visit – it turned out that the tour plan they had with them differed slightly from the one we had agreed with the mine. That could mean only one thing: even more surprises ahead!
We began our exploration in the engine room of the Campi shaft – a place closed to the public and the only spot on the entire route where photography was not allowed. But what our camera sensors couldn’t capture, our memories did. Fortunately, questions were very welcome, so thanks to the hoist operator we learned a lot of details about the construction, drive, power, speed, durability, maintenance and emergency solutions used in the drive and braking systems.
For balance, on the other side of the shaft (it had been “rotated” at some point in its history) we saw a former steam engine that once worked the cages in a way similar to the current electric hoist. Interestingly, it is now coupled to an electric motor that can “spin it up”. There is no longer hot steam billowing everywhere, but even so, seeing the machine “at work” makes a strong impression. Here, photography was allowed, and it took us a good dozen minutes for everyone to capture the most interesting details.
No fun without safety (and the triangular tag)
Before we could go down, we had to become part of the mining crew. Because our plan involved leaving the standard tourist route and entering areas subject to strict mining regulations, we first completed mandatory training in the use of escape apparatus (a simple carbon monoxide filter which, under specific conditions, is designed to provide an hour to exit the danger zone). The rescue miner assured us that there had been no need to use them for a long time (here there is no risk of spontaneous combustion of the deposit, as can happen in hard coal mines). We also “interrogated” him about his work and saw his professional gear: a breathing apparatus with a 400-litre oxygen cylinder, which should allow about two hours of rescue operations. On the way out, some of us took photos of the detailed map of the mine hanging on the wall. Just in case…
Next came the lamp room – the magical moment of transforming into miners. We collected:
⛑️ Helmets (safety first!),
🔦 Mining lamps (without them you go nowhere in the dark),
🏃 Escape apparatus,
▲ A mining tag – a special triangular metal token with an identification number that is sacred in the mining trade, and at the same time signs you onto the “list of miners going underground”.
Do you know what a mining tag is? It’s a small metal plate stamped with a number. Each shape had its meaning in the mine’s hierarchy. A round tag – descent underground, a polygon – blasting authorisation. But the most important rule was the “clean board”. A tag still hanging on the board after the end of a shift shouted louder than any siren: someone stayed down below. That’s when the alarm was raised. That little piece of metal decided whether the rescue team would go after you.
Into the darkness – the start of our underground journey
Once we had our full kit from the lamp room, a mine road vehicle took us to the Sutoris shaft (Latin: the Shoemaker). As it was Saturday, the hoisting machine in this shaft was resting. What does that mean for Zrobotyzowani? Of course – a walk! We went down the stairs on foot to the “Danielowiec” level, located 70 metres below the surface. There, our guide outlined the history of the mine.
At its peak, the mine consisted of as many as 44 shafts, many of which turned out to be “unsuccessful” (they did not reach salt, so they were closed and secured). Over the years, some shafts were decommissioned, because today’s hoisting machines can reach great depths and miners no longer need to “change shafts” on the way down. Currently, the mine is served by three shafts: Campi and Sutoris (shafts handling traffic and “exhaust” ventilation – air escapes from the mine that way) and the Trinitatis shaft – the “intake” shaft (supplying fresh air into the tunnels; unfortunately we didn’t get to see it).
The Sobieski Level – in the footsteps of history and geology
After passing the first level (here the mine has created the multimedia “Salt Witness” route, which we decided not to activate – we were much more interested in the “raw”, working version of the mine), we walked through the Stanetti chambers and reached the second level (“Sobieski”, depth 106 m). This is where the mine revealed its geological face.
By the light of our headlamps we observed natural salt formations on the walls and ceilings – veins of pure salt sparkling in our beams, fanciful salt efflorescence in rock fissures that looked like glitter sprinkled in the dark. This was the first real playground for photographers: they captured close-ups of salt structures and the play of shadows cast by the uneven rock surfaces. We photographed primary salt formations and secondary efflorescence, squeezing into corridors so narrow that we had to pass them “on a single breath”.
Along the way, the guide shared a few curiosities about how the depths of the levels are marked. It turned out that the levels are not as “level” as the name suggests, and the shaft outlets are at different elevations above sea level. As a result, the same level can have a different depth marking depending on the shaft. It’s a good illustration of how complex a “labyrinth” this mine has become after more than seven centuries of operation!
From the “Sobieski” level we reached the “Wernier” level via the “Kalwaria” passage. At its end we stopped for a moment in an underground chamber arranged as a small gallery of different salt formations. The keen ones climbed the “Regis” stairs to two chapels located deep inside the mine. In the stillness of these tunnels, far from the surface, you could really feel the spirit of the early miners – every blow of a pickaxe must once have echoed here for a long time.
On the way, our guides answered questions about techniques and working conditions – both in the past and today. One of the most interesting topics raised during the tour was how air was supplied to individual workings. In short: the layout of tunnels (and the partitions placed in them) ensures the flow of air through the main corridors, while in side galleries it’s a matter of limited distance (diffusive exchange) or forced circulation (today: ventilation ducts, in the past: hand-operated bellows!).
Climbing down salt ladders to the August Level
Things got more exciting when, on our way from the “Wernier” level to the “August” level, a surprise awaited us. We had received permission to pass through a fragment of the mine normally closed to tourists (listed by UNESCO and protected from being “trodden to death”) – a long-disused branch of the “Kalwaria” corridor.
The route led through vertical connecting shafts equipped with old salt ladders. These ladders are a true curiosity: five storeys of metal frames and rungs, all covered in a thick layer of crystallised salt! Every step creaked and shed tiny grains of salt. The passages were tight, but that didn’t stop us. Did we complain? Not at all! Even when salt was trickling down our collars (thanks to friends climbing above us), the mood stayed excellent.
People at the bottom were taking photos of those above. Those in the middle were shouting at the ones below not to stop because time was running out, while being urged on by those higher up. And let’s be honest – a second chance to visit this place may never come… This is the essence of Zrobo’s industrial tours – authentic experiences with a pinch of challenge!
Fully focused, cameras safely strapped across our backs, we conquered this unusual section. When the last participant reached the August level, we could congratulate ourselves – not every visitor gets to climb mine ladders encrusted with salt!
From the “August” level we made our way to the eastern end of the mine, and via the “Lobkowicz” level we reached the “Sienkiewicz” level.
A cruise on the brine lake – the magic of “Salt and Light”
There, in Chamber “81” (the occupiers didn’t bother with poetic names), the surface of a dark body of water glittered – an underground brine lake. Split into smaller groups, we carefully boarded a long boat and the miner-boatmen took their places at the oars. We pushed away from the jetty and in almost total darkness, broken only by our lamps, we began a slow cruise down the flooded tunnel.
The impression was unforgettable: overhead, the chamber ceiling; in the water, reflections of the lights creating the illusion of stars in the night sky… all around us, salt walls hiding thousands of secrets.
The lake is somewhat artificial – brine is pumped in because it evaporates and escapes between the rocks. But its salinity is stronger than the Dead Sea – about 32%, a fully saturated solution; you can’t dissolve any more salt in it. The lake itself is only about 60 cm deep. We also learned that the miners operating the boat are full-fledged sailors, and the boat itself is registered as a vessel with the Maritime Office in Gdańsk – after all, it sails on brine, which is technically seawater! It even has an official logbook where every “passenger bath” incident is recorded. Apparently, quite a few such entries have piled up over the years, which made us smile. This time, however, there were no such adventures – everyone remained politely on board, admiring this peculiar combination of elements: salt, water and darkness.
After a few minutes of cruising – during which we managed to take a lot of unique photos (getting sharp focus in almost complete darkness was a challenge!) – we returned to the landing. This experience captured the idea of “Salt and Light” perfectly – in the glow of our lamps, the salt revealed its beauty in the most extraordinary way.
St Kinga’s Chapel and the underground railway
After the cruise we headed west to the “Ważyn” chamber (we’ll return there later, quite literally), where after a quick freshen-up we took the “Ważyn” auxiliary shaft up to the “August” level and St Kinga’s Chapel (St Kinga is the patron saint of salt miners). It is the largest and most impressive chapel in the Bochnia mine – perhaps even in the world.
What makes it even more special is that railway tracks run right through it – yes, this is probably the only chapel in the world with a mining railway passing through! And we had a chance to see it in action: as we were taking photos, a mining train appeared in the doorway.
An authentic mining train in the tunnels of the Bochnia Salt Mine. A ride like this, several hundred metres underground, is an experience you simply don’t forget – the clatter of wheels, the glow of lights on the tunnel supports and the awareness that you’re travelling the same route miners once used to go on shift create pure magic.
Then came the moment many of us had been waiting for the most – the underground train ride. We boarded small carriages pulled by an LDag 05 electric mining locomotive. The train guard gave the signal, the driver turned the controller and we set off – several hundred metres of route lay ahead of us, running through further chambers and galleries, all the way towards the Campi shaft area.
The speed wasn’t high, but the sensations certainly were: the darkness of the tunnel lit only by the locomotive’s headlamps, the rush of air on our faces, the echo of metal wheels rolling along the rails. We all felt a thrill, as if we had travelled back in time and become miners heading for their shift… except that instead of pickaxes we were holding cameras 📷.
Of course we didn’t miss the chance to document this part of the trip – cameras practically overheated from shooting in motion! Given the specific profile of our group, the train collected far more photos than the chapel – both before we got on, during the ride and after we got off, including as it passed us again on the way back.
A breather 250 metres underground – Ważyn Chamber
From the “August” level we returned to the “Ważyn” chamber (some by the “Seremak” staircase, others via the adjacent slide).
Intensive underground exploration means that even the most dedicated enthusiasts need a break. The organisers made sure we could catch our breath and recharge in the Ważyn Chamber – the most famous and largest chamber in the Bochnia Salt Mine. Located around 250 metres underground, it impresses with its scale: roughly 255 metres long and 7 metres high. It’s a genuine underground town: there is a restaurant with wooden tables, a dance floor and a sports field next to it.
What’s more, the chamber also serves a spa function – thanks to its unique microclimate (air free from pollution and allergens, rich in microelements), many people with respiratory problems stay here overnight. We too felt this beneficial atmosphere on our own skin: the cool, slightly salty air was wonderfully refreshing after several hours of walking.
A delicious hot lunch awaited us deep underground – not everyone can say they’ve eaten a meal in a mine! We sat down on benches, savouring the warm food and sharing our first impressions. Dimmed lights in the background created a cosy ambience, and the echo of conversations carried high up to the vault of the chamber.
This break was also a great opportunity to bond – nothing brings people together like a shared adventure. Our discussions about what we had already experienced seemed endless: we relived the climb down the salt ladders, swapped observations about the charms of photographing salt, and joked about our “stowaway passengers” – the omnipresent salt crystals clinging to our clothes.
Some brave souls decided to take advantage of an extra, unexpected attraction – right next to the stairs leading to the lower part of the chamber is a 140-metre-long slide running down an inclined tunnel! Naturally, we had to try it. The ride down this underground chute triggered a wave of laughter and childlike joy. Who would have thought you could feel like you’re at a playground in a historic mine? And yet – Bochnia offers this unique combination of learning, history and play.
Secrets of the Fifth Level (Hardcore Mode On) 😎
After our break it was time for the climax of the trip – the part the “tigers” like best: deep exploration of Level V of the mine, far from tourist trails.
A foreman – an experienced miner responsible for supervising movement through working sections of the mine – joined our group. His presence meant one thing: the jokes were over, this was now a real mine.
Armed with fresh camera batteries and full of energy, we set off east again, towards the Sutoris shaft. There we faced a serious challenge: going down the emergency staircase inside the shaft, roughly 70 metres down, to a depth of 300 metres. As there was no hoist crew on duty on Saturdays, we had to cover this distance using ladders and landings.
Thankfully, these stair-like ladders were more modern and less overgrown with salt than the previous ones – but even so, the prospect of descending inside a shaft was impressive. Not everyone can boast of having gone down an active mine’s emergency evacuation route, right? Emotions were running high, and adrenaline sharpened our focus on every step.
When we finally reached the bottom, we found ourselves on a level called “Podmoście” – and it really did feel like we had reached the very heart of a living mine.
This is where the miners responsible for keeping the mine in good technical condition do their work. Water inflows from the upper levels (and wastewater from above) collect here, and although the main pumps are currently installed even lower, there are plans to move them up to this level. This is also where the chutes from higher levels end and where blasted rock is temporarily stored before being either used to backfill one of the galleries or transported to the surface if there is time and capacity.
Here the freight trains used to stand, and waiting for us among them were raw, heavy Polish-made battery locomotives – Konstal LDag 05. One of them was undergoing minor repair work, so we could see it in a rare state: with its two-tonne battery box removed and set aside. It was a sight that’s hard to describe – monumental and fascinating at the same time.
We passed strings of small mine cars designed for transporting materials – of course each of us seized the opportunity to photograph them. These little wagons, covered in dust and salt, had a particular charm of old-school engineering. In fact, they probably intrigued us even more than the shiny tourist train on the upper levels.
We photographed every detail, perhaps even more meticulously than that machine on the “August” level. And, most importantly, there are no tourist amenities here at all – lamps were not just helpful, they were absolutely essential.
The raw beauty of the Bochnia mine’s underground corridors – timber supports, mining rails and salt everywhere. On the fifth level there is no decorative lighting for visitors; there is only authentic darkness, cut through by the beams of our lamps. For photography enthusiasts, this sort of place is paradise – you can capture the spirit of the mine in its purest form.
It was here, on the fifth level, that we truly understood where the name of our trip, “Salt and Light”, came from. Here, salt and light played the leading roles – in the darkness we sliced with our beams, salt particles glinted like stars in the dust clouds rising from under our boots. Every photo required precise lighting – we became masters of “painting with light” against salt walls.
The lack of artificial illumination turned out to be a blessing for photographers: we could light our frames exactly as we wanted, pulling the most interesting elements out of the gloom. We managed to capture the authentic atmosphere of the miners’ workplace – the raw, technical beauty of the mine with no added polish.
The beams of our lamps also revealed something else – quite a high level of dust. It was our group that had kicked it up off the floor. When we retraced our steps on the way back, we were surprised by just how much was hanging in the air.
Naturally, the arrival of a new team member (the foreman) was immediately used by the visitor team as only they know how. He was “attacked” with a barrage of questions, and he answered back with a barrage of stories and technical trivia.
Back to the surface – impressions that last
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. After several hours of intense exploration, we finally reached the Campi shaft, where yet another curiosity awaited us – a brake system for mine cars just before they enter the cage. A simple spring mechanism mounted on the rails that stops the wagons (called “koleby” here) automatically. A tiny detail, but for us technology geeks it was another tasty morsel to add to the collection. A trained eye will spot something interesting everywhere!
Moments later, the cage arrived. It has two levels to reduce the number of trips. But given how many passengers we were, we can safely say that even Warsaw’s metro in rush hour offers luxurious conditions by comparison. We are absolutely convinced the miner operating the cage must have done an internship in the Tokyo subway.
Our quick ascent back to the surface – around a minute at 4 m/s – felt more like teleportation to another world. When the doors opened, we were greeted by the chill of a November afternoon, the grey daylight and the sudden return of mobile reception and Internet. Nine hours underground passed like a single moment. Filled with adrenaline, knowledge and awe, we almost couldn’t believe it was already over.
At the end we returned all our equipment: lamps went back into their charging stations, escape apparatus returned to their shelves, and our mining tags (ID tokens) were hung back on the board as we signed out on the list. That’s how we officially “left the mine”.
Tired, muddy and slightly salted, but happy and fulfilled, we said our goodbyes at the Campi shaft. Only one task remained – to go through the hundreds of photos we had taken and share the best shots with others.
Summary: Passion that connects and inspires
The “Salt and Light” expedition to the Bochnia Salt Mine turned out to be a bull’s-eye. Thanks to the partnership between Zrobotyzowani and the mine, we were granted access to places that normally remain behind closed doors. We saw the mine in all its splendour – both its tourist attractions (multimedia routes, the boat, the underground train, chapels) and its working face: the spaces where the daily effort of maintaining this unique monument still takes place.
This combination of historical heritage and living industrial reality made a huge impression on us. In a single day we experienced centuries of history trapped in salt and the modern aspects of mining – everything that industrial tourism, at its best, has to offer.
For many participants it was the adventure of a lifetime, one that broadened their horizons (literally and figuratively). Photographers went home with memory cards full of unique frames – images you can only capture underground, where light and darkness dance together on salt walls. Technology lovers feasted their eyes on historic machines and engineering solutions from bygone eras. History buffs soaked up stories about the old miners, the legends of the mine and its path to the UNESCO list (Bochnia was added to the World Heritage List in 2013).
And all of us together enjoyed the one-of-a-kind atmosphere of this outing – a sense of community, of discovering something hidden and extraordinary.
The Zrobotyzowani team once again proved that the slogan “renaissance of industrial tourism” is no empty phrase. With their events they show that Polish industrial sites – both still operating and converted into museums – hold enormous educational and adventure potential. They do, however, require a great deal of preparation and cooperation (each such tour is the result of months of arrangements and planning), but the final effect is worth every effort.
Participants returned home physically tired, but mentally refreshed – because nine hours offline, underground, with no signal and no Internet, turned out to be a fantastic break from everyday life.
If you are still wondering whether it’s worth joining future trips with Zrobotyzowani, our report speaks for itself. You won’t find such unique experiences anywhere else! This is #IndustrialTourism at its finest – combining passion, knowledge and emotion. We can’t wait for the next adventure, and in the meantime we remain deeply impressed by what Bochnia had been hiding from us. Salt and light turned out to be the perfect duo to awaken our curiosity and give us memories for a lifetime. See you on the next trips! 👋
Thank you
Thank you, dear participants, for your exemplary discipline and the amazing atmosphere – already at the Campi shaft we gathered quickly, tickets were checked in no time, and your energy fired us up so much that the promised 15°C in the mine felt like a pleasant chill! Your engagement and curiosity (literally hundreds of questions!) turned our trip into a true underground spectacle.
Special thanks go to our guides – Jacek Pawłowski, Marek Rzepka and the ever-reliable foreman Adam Chojnacki – thanks to their knowledge and patience even the most complex technical issues became clear, and every question received a thorough answer.
Huge thanks are also due to the entire crew of the Bochnia mine for their openness and consent to our non-standard route, smooth organisation (from registration at the entrance to the logistics underground) and great patience with our questions and photographic enthusiasm – your machines had their hands full, and “Salt and Light” danced before our lenses like stars. Every place we visited gained a special glow thanks to that!
Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ms Anna Kawalec and Ms Agnieszka Cichostępska, the Operations Department, the Management Board of the Bochnia Mine and President Krzysztof Zięba – without their support, goodwill and decisions this exceptional expedition simply would not have happened. It is precisely this mutual trust and good cooperation between us that made it possible to carry out such an unusual adventure, which will remain in our memories for a long time.
Thank you!
Słowa kluczowe: turystyka przemysłowa, zwiedzanie kopalni, Kopalnia Soli w Bochni, KS Bochnia, Zwiedzanie Kopalni Soli Bochnia, Zwiedzanie Urbex Kopalni Soli, technika, jednodniowa wycieczka z przewodnikiem, relacja z wydarzenia, Zrobotyzowani, industrialne zdjęcia, przemysł od środka.
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Photos by: Magdalena Prosowska, Amelia Sieradz, Jakub Kisieliński, Andrzej Kwiatkowski, Kacper Szmitka Awizonosz, Karol Lubaczewski
Report prepared by:Paulina Kozłowska, Jakub Kisieliński, Andrzej Kwiatkowski, Karol Lubaczewski
Event initiators & schedule: Andrzej Kwiatkowski, Karol Lubaczewski
Host-side arrangements: Agnieszka Cichostępska, Anna Kawalec, Krzysztof Zięba
