A record 1.91 million people visited Poland’s Wieliczka Salt Mine last year, marking an increase of more than 10% compared with 2024 and confirming a full recovery in tourism after years of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Chapel of St Kinga, the patron saint of salt miners, in the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Kraków, southern Poland.Photo: PAP/Jerzy Ochoński
“This is a historic record and clear proof that we have rebuilt tourist traffic, which was first halted in 2019 by the pandemic and later by Russia’s war in Ukraine,” said Barbara Zięba-Godula, chief executive of Wieliczka Salt Mine Tourism, during a press briefing on Thursday, as reported by Poland’s state news agency PAP.
Located near Kraków in southern Poland, the UNESCO-listed site attracted a predominantly international audience, with foreign visitors accounting for more than 70% of all guests. Tourists from the United Kingdom formed the largest group, with around 272,000 visitors, followed by Italians (143,000) and French travellers (87,000).
Mine officials expect visitor numbers to rise further this year, potentially reaching the symbolic threshold of two million. “We are hopeful and fully prepared to welcome such numbers,” Zięba-Godula said.
Digital support for record visitor numbers
To cope with growing demand, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has introduced round-the-clock virtual assistants to support customer service.
In 2025, the site rolled out a system of AI-powered chatbots developed by the Kraków-based company ChatLab. Operating since April, the virtual assistants now handle more than 17% of daily customer interactions following nine months of testing.
The eight multilingual chatbots provide practical information, assist with ticket bookings and direct more complex enquiries to human staff, who remain central to visitor services at the historic site.
Seven centuries of mining and a UNESCO-listed legacy
The Wieliczka Salt Mine has been in continuous operation since the mid-13th century. Over seven centuries, miners excavated nine underground levels reaching depths of up to 327 metres, creating 26 shafts, more than 2,000 chambers and a labyrinth of nearly 245 kilometres of tunnels.
Organised tourism began in the late 18th century, and in 1978 the site was inscribed on UNESCO’s first World Heritage List.
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Radio Poland