Solotvyno Salt Mines
The headstocks of the abandoned salt mines at Solotvyno in south west Ukraine, located hard on the border with Romania (the wooded hills in the background). Due to heavy subsidence and sink holes swallowing up buildings, the result of flooding and underground salt erosion, the Government reluctantly took the decision in March 2013 to call it a day there. Salt mining has been carried out in the Solotvyno area since the Middle Ages and the mines, once considered to be among the richest producing salt mines in Europe, had also been exploited to offer speleotherapy treatment, 300 metres below ground in separate caverns, for patients suffering from asthmatic and other respiratory problems. The unique micro-climate of the mines had been believed to have been beneficial to sufferers of such illnesses. The once-thriving local economy, with many mansion-style houses having been constructed in recent years, possibly on the back of this 'medical services sideline', appeared to be suffering significantly from this sudden closure.
This is what the dream for the town was all about:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4575388.stm
Copyright Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use any of these images without my explicit permission
Solotvyno Salt Mines
The headstocks of the abandoned salt mines at Solotvyno in south west Ukraine, located hard on the border with Romania (the wooded hills in the background). Due to heavy subsidence and sink holes swallowing up buildings, the result of flooding and underground salt erosion, the Government reluctantly took the decision in March 2013 to call it a day there. Salt mining has been carried out in the Solotvyno area since the Middle Ages and the mines, once considered to be among the richest producing salt mines in Europe, had also been exploited to offer speleotherapy treatment, 300 metres below ground in separate caverns, for patients suffering from asthmatic and other respiratory problems. The unique micro-climate of the mines had been believed to have been beneficial to sufferers of such illnesses. The once-thriving local economy, with many mansion-style houses having been constructed in recent years, possibly on the back of this 'medical services sideline', appeared to be suffering significantly from this sudden closure.
This is what the dream for the town was all about:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4575388.stm
Copyright Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use any of these images without my explicit permission