SLANIC SALT MINE (Salina Unirea), Slănic, Prahova, Romania

Slănic mine is an old salt mine, located in Slănic, Prahova County, Romania, just 100 km north of Bucharest, situated between the valley of Prahova and that of Teleajen, at about 44 km of Ploiesti, at 400 meters of altitude.

The salt mine is closed for extraction purposes, but is open for visitors, featuring a microclimate with natural air-conditioning and constant temperature and atmospheric pressure throughout the year. It is made up of two levels, named Unirea and Mihai.

The mine is composed of 14 chambers with trapezoidal profiles, having a 10 m opening to the ceiling and 32 m to the ground, a height of 54 m, and a wall inclination angle of 60 degrees. The shore difference between the surface and the mining base is 208 m. It was transformed into a sanatorium for the treatment of pulmonary diseases in a saline air microclimate. Many of the visitors come for its supposed healing effects due to the purity of the air.

The Unirea mine chamber – notice the trapezoidal profile of the chamber and the wooden balcony at the top.