Salt mines of Soledar city in Ukraine located 300 m below the sea level can be reached by a speedy elevator. Having left the elevator, one appears to be in a huge hall the walls of which are higher than 9-storey building. In 2003 the place got into the Guinness Book of World Records as the first underground area being examined by people flying with balloons.

Welcome to Soledar!

The elevator.

It looks like a cell descending into a cave.

This is the only object made not of salt.

The walls, floor and ceiling of the room are made of salt which is very tasty.

Museum of Salt Industry.

The guests are crossing the bottom of an ancient sea.

The temperature in the mine is always constant (+16 degrees Celsius).

This very mine is not functioning unlike the adjacent ones that produce many tones of salt.

The salt packs often seen in shops are produced right here.

Much salt is exported. This one will go to Armenia.

Packs used while exporting salt to different countries.

The word ‘Soledar’ is translated as ‘Giving Salt As A Gift’ from Russian.

The machine was used to drill an entrance to the mine. Miners who inhale the salt dust during the drilling develop different diseases and don’t stay alive for long. But those who come to the mines for excursions or just spend their time here improve their health a lot.

A huge church is located inside the mines.

You can also play football here if you want to.

Concerts take place very often here due to the wonderful acoustic properties of the place.

The salt on the floor looks like sand on a beach.

They say that every year a Christmas-tree is decorated here and the tree remains fresh for long due to the special antiseptic atmosphere.

A cafe is also available.

This is what the mine walls look like in shiny weather.

Entrance to the sanatorium.

Look through some other photos of the mines presented below.

Location: Soledar

via horoshiyblog