Salina Turda

"Surface extraction of salt was first started by the Romans. Underground extraction began after the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary. There are records of salt mining in Torda as early as 1075. The salt chamber existed as early as the 14th century. It was the first among the Transylvanian salt chambers, and the royal chamberlain of Torda, who was superior to the other chamberlains, held the title of ispán (comes camerae). The salt mines in the area supplied the majority of Hungary's salt needs. After the revolution of 1848, the salt chamber was moved from Torda, first to Nagyszeben, then to Kolozsvár, and finally to Marosújvár in 1880. In 1853, the Franz Joseph gallery was built and the Teréz and Rudolf mines were modernised. Salt mining ceased in 1932, during the Romanian occupation. During the Second World War, the population of the town fled here to escape air raids. Between 1950 and 1992, the Franz Joseph mine was used as a cheese warehouse. It was renovated as a tourist attraction in 2010 with EU funding. The mine galleries house an amphitheatre, a sports ground, a Ferris wheel, a mini-golf course and a playground. You can also go boating in the Teréz Mine lake."