DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25050#0385
part of the mine retains its historic character and is a landmark of
global importance, not only as a monument of early industry but
also as a sight of some aesthetic value. In endless galleries and
large chambers emptied of salt deposits, one can admire ingenious
wooden structures shoring up the walls and vaults, often in
fanciful architectural compositions. In some chambers under-
ground chapels have been established. The oldest among them,
dating from the seventeenth century, are dedicated to St Anthony
and the Holy Cross; the biggest, originating from the nineteenth
century, takes its name from Blessed Cunegund. The pious miners
used the most available material, salt, to carve out altars, candle-
sticks and even figures of saints. In one of the chambers is
a museum devoted to the history of the mine and ancient ex-
cavation techniques.
Another long-established landmark in. the environs of Cracow
is the Ojcow Valley, 25 kilometres northwest of the city. It is
a dozen or so kilometres long, with walls a few-score metres high,
often steeply rising. For millions of years they were sculpted by
the presently meagre waters of the Pr^dnik, from the limestone
Jurassic massif. Sadly, this unique geological and natural preserve,
protected in its entirety within Ojcow National Park, has been
irrevocably devastated by industrial emissions travelling from
nearby Silesia. The scenic beauty of the rocks, caves and woods of
the valley is redolent of historial events, beginning with the
struggle for the Cracow throne in the thirteenth century and
ending with the role the area played during the 1863 January
Uprising.
A typical sight in the valley, combining natural appeal with
historical significance, is Ladislaus the Short Cave, where the
future king is said to have taken refuge from the Bohemian king
Venceslaus, then ruling in Cracow. At least as early as the
thirteenth century, claimants to the royal throne recognized the
strategic positioning of Ojcow, and Casimir the Great later
incorporated it into the chain of castles defending the western
border of the Kingdom. The history of Ojcow Castle, from which
371
global importance, not only as a monument of early industry but
also as a sight of some aesthetic value. In endless galleries and
large chambers emptied of salt deposits, one can admire ingenious
wooden structures shoring up the walls and vaults, often in
fanciful architectural compositions. In some chambers under-
ground chapels have been established. The oldest among them,
dating from the seventeenth century, are dedicated to St Anthony
and the Holy Cross; the biggest, originating from the nineteenth
century, takes its name from Blessed Cunegund. The pious miners
used the most available material, salt, to carve out altars, candle-
sticks and even figures of saints. In one of the chambers is
a museum devoted to the history of the mine and ancient ex-
cavation techniques.
Another long-established landmark in. the environs of Cracow
is the Ojcow Valley, 25 kilometres northwest of the city. It is
a dozen or so kilometres long, with walls a few-score metres high,
often steeply rising. For millions of years they were sculpted by
the presently meagre waters of the Pr^dnik, from the limestone
Jurassic massif. Sadly, this unique geological and natural preserve,
protected in its entirety within Ojcow National Park, has been
irrevocably devastated by industrial emissions travelling from
nearby Silesia. The scenic beauty of the rocks, caves and woods of
the valley is redolent of historial events, beginning with the
struggle for the Cracow throne in the thirteenth century and
ending with the role the area played during the 1863 January
Uprising.
A typical sight in the valley, combining natural appeal with
historical significance, is Ladislaus the Short Cave, where the
future king is said to have taken refuge from the Bohemian king
Venceslaus, then ruling in Cracow. At least as early as the
thirteenth century, claimants to the royal throne recognized the
strategic positioning of Ojcow, and Casimir the Great later
incorporated it into the chain of castles defending the western
border of the Kingdom. The history of Ojcow Castle, from which
371