Żupny Castle

The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka) is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, near Kraków in southern Poland. From Neolithic times, sodium chloride (table salt) was produced there from the upwelling brine. The Wieliczka salt mine, excavated from the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 1996, as one of the world's oldest operating salt mines. Throughout its history, the royal salt mine was operated by the Żupy Krakowskie (Kraków Salt Mines) company.Due to falling salt prices and mine flooding, commercial salt mining was discontinued in 1996.The Wieliczka Salt Mine is now an official Polish Historic Monument (Pomnik Historii) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its attractions include the shafts and labyrinthine passageways, displays of historic salt-mining technology, an underground lake, four chapels and numerous statues carved by miners out of the rock salt, and more recent sculptures by contemporary artists.

Wieliczka County (Polish: powiat wielicki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Wieliczka, which lies 13 kilometres (8 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków. The only other town in the county is Niepołomice, lying 12 km (7 mi) north-east of Wieliczka. The county covers an area of 427.8 square kilometres (165.2 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 105,266, out of which the population of Wieliczka is 19,133, that of Niepołomice is 8,537, and the rural population is 77,596.

Gmina Wieliczka is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Wieliczka, which lies approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków. The gmina covers an area of 100.1 square kilometres (38.6 sq mi), and as of 2006, its total population is 48,254 (out of which the population of Wieliczka amounts to 19,133, and the population of the rural part of the gmina is 29,121).

Wieliczka pronounced [vʲɛˈlʲit͡ʂka] (German: Groß Salze, Latin: Magnum Sal) is a historic town in southern Poland, situated within the Kraków metropolitan area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. The town was initially founded in 1290 by Premislaus II of Poland. Nowadays, it is mostly known for the Wieliczka Salt Mine, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and the historic old town core which was listed as one of National Polish Monuments in 1994. The population in 2019 was estimated at 23,395.

Siercza [ˈɕɛrt͡ʂa] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) south-west of Wieliczka and 12 km (7 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków.

Czarnochowice [t͡ʂarnɔxɔˈvit͡sɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) north of Wieliczka and 12 km (7 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków.

Rożnowa [rɔʐˈnɔva] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of Wieliczka and 14 km (9 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków.

Lednica Górna [lɛdˈnit͡sa ˈɡurna] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) south-east of Wieliczka and 15 km (9 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków.Lednica Górna, as well as the nearby town of Wieliczka are among the last places in Poland where the Easter tradition of Siuda Baba is still practised.

Zabawa [zaˈbava] (translation: fun) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) east of Wieliczka and 14 km (9 mi) southeast of the regional capital Kraków.

Grabówki [ɡraˈbufki] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) south-west of Wieliczka and 12 km (7 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków.

Mietniów [ˈmjɛtɲuf] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) south of Wieliczka and 16 km (10 mi) southeast of the regional capital Kraków.

Kokotów [kɔˈkɔtuf] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wieliczka, within Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.