Photos taken by Marius POPESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Lately, the number of tourists who visit it has increased exponentially — some 370,000 annually — and, at least in the past year, the number of foreign visitors has exceeded that of Romanian tourists. Since its modernization, in 2010, and until today, Turda Salt Mine has been visited by almost two million tourists.

Turda’s Mayor Tudor Stefanie told AGERPRES that the success has been unexpected and now, thanks to Turda Salt Mine, the town is re-orienting economically, going from a bankrupt and polluting industry to a thriving tourist activity.

“The salt mine, as a tourist attraction, has existed since 1992, but back then it was visited by very few tourists. But it has become an attractive project because there were also sources of external funding, European funds. Also, after a study made by us and by specialists in tourism promotion, as well by our strategy promoted in 2004, the salt mine was the main objective to focus on in order to develop Turda from a tourism viewpoint. We aimed at a project to capitalize on the salt and all areas in Turda with spa potential, but we have never thought this project dear to our heart of a group of people, started in 2005 and completed in 2010, will get such a tourist importance,” Tudor Stefanie underscored.

The investment made so far in Turda Salt Mine amounts to six million euros. Of the six million euros, only one million euros was from the local budget, an amount recouped from the profit made in only the first two years of operation, 2010-2011. More important is the fact that the town and its economy have a successful development direction, after the big factories of yesteryear have left Turda with high unemployment.

“It is a project that has re-launched Turda among national towns—and, as you can see, also among international ones. It is a project around which many economic activities, tourist services, public food services are developing, which means that Turda has created its future on this objective, which was not even very expensive — only six million euros, through which we draw at least 370,000 visitors annually, with a year-on-year increase. One million euros was from the local budget and in 2010-2011 that one million euros was made from the profit. Before, Turda accounted for 30% of the GDP of the county, due to the industry developed here: chemical, glass, cement, Electroceramica etc. After the 1990s, the very high shrinkage of the industrial activity and because it was a polluting, inhospitable industry, prompted us to re-focus on other strategic elements to promote the town of Turda. God gave us this natural wealth at Turda. From a spa standpoint, the mud, the saline water and the air in the salt mine can be used. Forced also by the undeveloped industry, we have found other promotion sources, and we have managed to keep this town also from an economic and social standpoint,” explains Mayor Tudor Stefanie.

Currently, Turda Salt Mine has become a model for other salt mines in the country and abroad, and it also collaborates with other salt mines in other countries. The main purpose of these collaborations is the drawing, through joint projects, of other European funds.

“There is a European association of salt mines in which we have a representative in the management of this associative form, with Turda being one of the main associated members. We have joined also to gain experience, but we also want to do joint projects on the new sources of EU funding in 2014-2020, so that we have greater opportunities to get funding and promote each other in terms of what we think it is necessary. We collaboration projects with salt mines in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and even in Turkey. The salt mine is appreciated, given that, at least in the past year, the number of foreign visitors has exceeded that of Romanian ones. I recommend that all who have such natural riches given by God capitalise on them. Many salt mines have taken from our experience and currently also Praid has developed certain activities, Slanic Moldova as well,” says Tudor Stefanie.

But the efforts made by the municipality and the salt mine’s management do not stop strictly at the tourism and leisure tourism part, but target also another very important direction — spa tourism, because, in some respects, the air here has unique therapeutic qualities in Romania.

“We have had a project on which specialists from Poland collaborated. We have worked with several specialists from the field of salt mines in Europe, and that is why I think it is a well-promoted objective. You can see that, also in terms of the spa treatment, the salt mine can become a potential competitor on the market for spa treatment for respiratory ways. We have the results of the tests made by several specialists and, it seems that in terms of the wet air, the salt mine is unique in the country, and it will be promoted also in terms of balneology,” mentions Tudor Stefanie.

Under the 2014-2020 Regional Development Plan of Turda, the investments in the Turda Salt Mine area would continue in order to diversify services and increase economic activity.

According to the document, the plans so far include designing a spa complex in the area of Lake Durgau, designing Rudolf Mine, in which an amphitheater with 80 seats was built, installing some modern elevators for visitors, designing Terezia Mine, where boat rides can be taken on the underground salt lake. Also built have been a treatment room, a church, miniature golf and bowling courses, a sports ground and a large wheel that takes tourists to the ceiling of the salt mine. The same document around the salt mine there are development plans for a luxury spa resort, with 3-, 4—and 5-star hotels, but also with a skating rink, a horse track and a golf course. A hotel resort, called “Salt Flower” would be intended for the luxury category, and other accommodation units in the area would be for the general public.

Turda Salt Mine has been explicitly attested since 1271, in a document issued by the Hungarian Chancellery, although it seems that salt exploitation in the area had been done long before.

The salt mine is placed in a salt deposit covering an area of around 45 square kilometers, and the average thickness of the salt is some 250 metres. It is composed of several galleries.

The Franz Iozef Gallery, built between 1853 and 1870, is a horizontal gallery designed to ease and cheapen the cost of transporting the salt to the surface. At its end, it had 780 meters, but at the end of the 19th century it was extended by another 137 metres. From 1948 to 1992, it was used as a cheese storage place.

The Rudolf Mine is a trapezoidal extraction hall begun in 1867. On the north wall, stalactites of salt formed over the years, due to water infiltration, and when these reach a length of around three metres, they break because of their own the weight. On the walls of the mine one can see traces of manual cutting of salt, left by chisel, ax or pickaxe.

The Terezia Mine is a bell mine with a depth of 90 metres from the balcony and 112 metres from the surface. On its bed there is an underground lake of 4 to 8-metre deep and 70 meters in diameter, and a 5-metre tall salt island. Also, on the north wall there is a cascade of salt.

In 1857, a new mine was opened that was to be similar to the Rudolf Mine. The mine was named Ghizela. Until stopping the exploitation in Turda Salt Mine, only preparatory works were performed in Ghizela Mine and since 1932, when Turda Salt Mine was closed, Ghizela Mine has remained in the state it is today.

After salt extraction was stopped in 1932, Turda Salt Mine was aimed to various activities. Among other things, during the World War II, it was used by the population as a bomb shelter, and during 1948-1992, a part of it was used as a cheese storage place.AGERPRES