Healing Salt Mines: Discover the magic micro-climate deep beneath Romania

By Katie Rawlins

DEEP below the earth a decommissioned Romanian salt mine has been repurposed as a health centre

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The cavernous tunnels of Praid's old salt mine are now home to a myriad of facilities and attractions

Only one year after decommission as a mine, the main gallery of Salina Praid reopened in 1980 offering a different experience for those who descend into the depths of the salt mine.

Romanian photographer Iacob Danny spent a day taking pictures of the breathtaking caverns and enjoying the extensive facilities.

This old salt mine is now kitted out for tourists rather than miners

The 38 year old said: “I heard about Salina Praid, and that it is one of the biggest salt mines in the country, and even Europe, so I decided to spend a beautiful day there taking photographs but also relaxing and enjoying it.”

The caverns, once ringing with hammers, now hum with the chatter of tourists, eating, swimming and praying in the cavernous chambers with enough amenities for a small village.

The Praid salt mine is one of Europe's largest halite deposits and is said to contain three-billion-tons of salt

Swapping excavation for relaxation the mine now boasts a chapel, museum and inflatable kids area.

It even has its own cafe, restaurant and wine tasting gallery where visitors can sample local specialities and an impressive collection of Romanian wines.

It even has its own inflatable play area, adventure course and 3D cinema

All this entertainment not only beats boredom but it can also boost health.

Spending over four hours in the salty air is said to ease respiratory problems including asthma and bronchitis.

Taking a breather: A whopping 300 steps just to get down to the main gallery

However with 300 stairs to tackle before reaching the lower gallery - 120 metres below the surface - sufferers may struggle to access it.

Iacob, however, had no problems with the decent.

Visitors can take time-out to reflect in the chapel - which accommodates catholics, protestants and orthodox believers

He said: “For me it was easy to get down to the caves but it depends on each person.”

Space is not an issue as the tunnels reach up to 20 metres wide and 18 metres high, but with as many as 3000 visitors a day every inch is needed to accommodate the massive influx.

Breath easy: The highly ionised saline air is said to help a large number of respiratory problems

The origin of the salt mine dates back to Roman times and the rich resource has been exploited by settlers there ever since and continues to be mined to this day - 260 metres below the flow of the tourists.

400 meters under the surface, far below the tourists, salt is still being mined

Salt from this mine is valued all over Europe and it won’t be running out any time soon - at an impressive 1.4 kilometre in diameter, the elliptical salt body contains reserves to last several hundred of years.