Underground, in the tunnels leading to the former salt mining caverns, the walls are slick with seeping groundwater. In other areas, water drips from the ceilings, forming stalactites and stalagmites. Wherever the water touches, it deposits salt, creating the illusion that salt is growing on rock, wood, and even steel.
The first document linking salt to the town of Turda is dated 1075, with the first mine being set up in 1271. Large scale mining started sometime in the 17th century, evidenced by shafts in the dome of the Terezia room (see map link below). Mining continued until around 1932, concluding with the Anton mine. In 1992, Salina Turda was repurposed as a halotherapy center, which is an alternative medicine for lung diseases.
Since receiving European funding in 2008, the publicly accessible caverns of Mina Rudolf and Mina Terezia have been transformed from dark, quiet places into kitsch playgrounds and attractions for children. A Ferris wheel, mini golf course, and playground can be found on the large rectangular floor of Mina Rudolf, while rowboats are the main attraction in the circular water-filled basin of Mina Terezia.
The access tunnels of Mina Iosif are partially open, allowing voices and noise to travel down into the echo chamber, which creates an amazing sound experience while revealing nothing to the eyes of the cavern below.
Beyond public access, Mina Anton is completely inaccessible, with tour guides sharing stories about why it is permanently closed. For many years, horses powered the machinery that transported excavated salt from the depths to the surface.
These horses worked mostly in the dark, with only a few burning torches for light. At the end of their shifts, the horses were taken back above ground without time to readjust to the difference in light. Under these conditions, the horses went completely blind after about two months of work, making feeding difficult and injuries common. When the horses were no longer useful for the mine, they were dumped into Mina Anton alongside mining waste and brackish water, resulting in the perfect preservation of the dead horses.
How many horses remain in Mina Anton is unknown, but it is estimated that tens of thousands of horses died working in Salina Turda.
