The planet has incredible places built in ways you never imagined: with salt blocks; discover some of them on the list!
In addition to helping our body function, preserving food and helping with cleaning, salt can be used in a variety of ways — and one of the most surprising is in the construction of buildings ranging from hotels to cathedrals; discover 5 of them below:
1. Ancient sanctuary
The Salt Cathedral is located in Zipaquirá (Colombia), 180 meters underground. It was built in 1954 in the largest saline reserve in the world, formed millions of years ago (a time when a sea occupied the region). Over the years, the sea dried up and left a huge deposit of salt that formed rocks. It is said that the cathedral’s galleries were excavated in the 18th century.
2. A speck in the desert
In the Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia), the largest salt desert in the world, is the Palácio de Sal hotel, entirely made of salt blocks. The region was formed after transformations into prehistoric lakes. The hotel opened in 2007 and much of the furniture and objects are also made of salt: walls, beds, tables, chairs…
3. In the oasis
The Adrère Amellal, in the Siwa Valley region (Egypt), is also a hotel where even the beds are made of salt. It is close to an oasis and on the edge of a saltwater lake – the blocks that form the building were extracted from there. Artisans remove crystal salt, used in cooking and as fertilizer for plants, and salt in rock form to sculpt objects.
4. Tourist spot
Around 1 million people visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine every year, 15 kilometers from Krakow (Poland). The huge salt reserve emerged millions of years ago, and in the 13th century, miners excavated galleries and rooms. Today, the mine has nine floors, around 200 meters deep and 300 kilometers long (only some sections are open to the public). The site houses hundreds of decorative objects, sculptures and a carved cathedral, which took 30 years to make – all made of salt!
5. Medicinal seasoning
A type of underground city, complete with a museum, café, chapel, concert space and even wireless internet, is located in the Praid Salt Mine, 350 kilometers from Bucharest (Romania). The site, 160 meters deep and open to the public, is very popular with people with respiratory problems, such as bronchitis and asthma: it is believed that the air, with higher atmospheric pressure, helps with treatment.
EXTRA: Time tunnel
The Underground Salt Museum, in Hutchinson, Kansas (United States), is a museum inside one of the largest salt deposits in the world. Opened in 2007, it is 200 meters below the surface and is around 100 kilometers long. Visitors are guided by the history of mining and can venture out – you can visit unexplored parts (wearing a helmet with a flashlight and breathing apparatus).
Did you know that…
Can you explore part of the Wieliczka Salt Mine using Google Street View? Access this link and do
have a good trip!
Read also: From the Great Wall of China to Christ the Redeemer: Discover the 7 Wonders of the Modern World
Source: Recreio
