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Subterranean Museum and Theme Park Information Provided by Salina Turda In Transylvania, Romania, tourists can go on a unique adventure in the Salina Turda salt mine system. The Rudolf Mine is over 130 feet deep, 160 feet wide, and 260 feet long. On one side of the ceiling, salt stalactites can be ad- mired. A panoramic lift offers tourists a view of the whole mine, while a mini golf track, two lanes of mini bowling, a sports field, 180-seat amphitheater, carousel, and playground provide an amusement park experience deep below the surface. The Gizela Mine and adjacent technical rooms are similar to Rudolf Mine, but much smaller because salt exploration stopped shortly after its opening. This mine has been adapted and transformed into a spa treatment room with natural aerosols. Terezia Mine is cone shaped and 390 feet deep. It is accessible to the public through a mine hearth circulation compartment with stairs or a lift. The salt cascade, underground lake, and a bloom of salt stalactites help decorate this huge underground bell. In the center of the lake, there is a salt island created from salt waste dumped into the lake since 1880. The underground lake has been arranged to provide tourists a romantic boat ride. From 1853-1870, the Franz Joseph Gallery was built. It is a horizontal gallery designed to cut the costs of salt conveyance to the surface. In total, the gallery measures over 3000 feet long. It includes a sterile area dug into the earth, which is over 1700 feet long, and strengthened with a thick stone wall. From 1948- 1992, the gallery was used as a cheese storage room. During this time, water and waste pipes were installed. The Josef Mine is located next to the Franz Josef Gallery, and can be reached through balconies carved in salt. Because of its shape as a conical chamber and lack of communications with the other major mining points, the mine produces a powerful echo effect, which is why it also called the “Echoes Room”. One of the rooms has a winch called a “crivac” or “gepel”. The winch was operated by horse power. It served as a vertical transport for the salt from Rudolf Mine, and is unique because of its original shape and location. It is the only machine of its kind in Romania, and probably Europe. The extraction shaft room contains the shaft through which the salt blocks were brought from Rudolf Mine up to the gallery’s level. The pulley system was installed in 1864, at the top end of the shaft, and is considered to still be in functioning con- dition. This is a terrific way to make history come to life from a prior resource. Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin Ride a carousel in Rudolf Mine and explore the Franz Joseph Gallery. Take a romantic boat ride on a lake in Terezia Mine. View the original pulley system and unique winch. 55 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® FEBRUARY 2018