Zbigniew Iwanski Books

Operating without a break since the thirteenth century, the Wieliczka Salt Mine holds, deep down underground, not only the extraordinary beauty of the miners' world, but also the mysterious past which comes down to us in many legends. Their heroes are St. Kinga, the Treasurer - lord of the underworld - and his daughter, called the White Lady. Through those mythical stories we get to know the history of the mine's foundation, the work of medieval miners and their belief in protective underground elves whose favour it was worth their while to win in the dangerous excavations of the mine. The book presents a few of the Wieliczka legends which take us to the world of underground salt chambers where the Treasurer reigns and where, even today, you can apparently see the white figure of his daughter...

Each story starts by explaining where it is set, making it easy to find each site on a city map. Each legend is preceded by a short introduction, and each one ends with a mention of other related places that are also worth visiting.