OPIS TRASY TURYSTYCZNEJ KOPALNI SOLI WIELICZKA W ŚWIETLE OPRACOWANIA JANA NEPOMUCENA ORAZ LUDWIKA EMANUELA HRDINÓW Z 1842 ROKU
Journal Title: Studia i materiały do dziejów żup solnych w Polsce - Year 2017, Vol 0, Issue 32
Abstract
The Wieliczka salt mine proves not only to have been an authentic witness of both European and Polish technical idea evolution, but it is also one of the first tourist attractions on the Polish territory. Existing historical sources confirm that tourism in the salt mine has been developing since the late 15th century, when the first occasional visits of prominent European humanists to Cracow Saltworks were noted (among them were Nicolaus Copernicus, Conrad Celtes, Joachim Rhetyk, the Silesian poet Adam Schroeter). As one of the oldest and also the largest industrial enterprises in Poland, it used to enchant and fascinate generations of researchers, attracting representatives of higher classes, lay and church dignitaries, scholars and diplomats. Wieliczka’s fame, which had been developing for centuries, sooner or later was destined to lead to the creation of mechanisms coordinating a constantly growing tourist flow. The first signs of an organised tourism appear in the 18th century, when basic facilities and services were introduced, for the first time with a view to tourists2. The Austrian Partition period was an unquestionable breakthrough in the development of Wieliczka tourism. The Austrian takeover of Cracow Saltworks in 1772 was a moment of incorporation of the first strictly defined rules of a regular, organised sightseeing tour, which was then arranged in 1774. Due to legal and organisational decisions and, above all, the introduction of official free entrance tickets, the Wieliczka salt mine became a popular tourist destination in the 19th century. The oldest detailed description of the first tourist route of the Wieliczka salt mine owes its origin to a work by John of Nepomuk and Ludwig Emanuel Hrdina. In a study Geschichte der Wieliczkaer Saline, published in 1842 in Vienna, the Hrdina brothers not only described the course of the tourist route in great detail along with its “peculiarities,” but also enriched it with relevant maps and illustrations depicting selected underground excavations of the salt mine available to tourists. It should be clearly stated that the authors of the 1842 publication were not only active mine workers but also experienced guides. It resulted in a work that − in the current meaning − ought to be regarded as the first guide to the Wieliczka salt mine. John of Nepomuk Hrdina was brought to Wieliczka by his elder brother Aloysius in 1812. In Wieliczka-Bochnia salt mines, John of Nepomuk served as, among others, a mine surveyor and an assistant to the mining inspection. During his long years of work, up to his death in 1831, he created a number of maps, illustrations and drawings. His fascination with the Wieliczka salt mine was not limited to research and artistic works only. He was a passionate collector of mine souvenirs. His second brother, Ludwig Emanuel, arrived in Wieliczka in 1817. Following his relative, he also served as a mine surveyor for several years. What he created are: a detailed map of Wieliczka, made between 1820 and 1827, several dozens of mining maps and illustrations depicting underground workings6. The main part of the first monograph of the Wieliczka salt mine − Geschichte der Wieliczkaer Saline − was prepared by John of Nepomuk. His sudden death in 1831 interrupted his work on the monograph. It was Ludwig Emanuel who ordered and prepared this scattered manuscript for printing. Additionally, he supplemented John’s study with a geological description of salt formations, a technical explanation of salt extraction methods and instructions for guests planning to visit the Wieliczka underworld. In the 19th century, their material, reliably prepared both in textual and iconographic ways, was a basic source of information and was used in numerous publications, both Polish and foreign ones. The work of the Hrdina brothers is a major source material for contemporary researchers of the history of tourism in Poland, especially of the history of tourism in the Wieliczka salt mine. It is worth mentioning that this publication is not the first one to describe the underground route of the Wieliczka salt mine, nevertheless, it is a fundamental one, analysing its course in detail and presenting principles of sightseeing. Other publications from the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, which were not uncommon, at best refer to the history of Wieliczka-Bochnia salt mines, treat tourism as a secondary problem and are too general in their content. Moreover, most of them represent short reports of mine stays and are full of personal and emotional observations. Their authors simply treated the issues that interest us selectively, disposing us of a complete picture. This gap was filled by the publication made in 18429. The aim of this study is to provide a closer look at and a detailed analysis of sources that have not yet been fully exploited. The existing research on tourism and its development in Wieliczka is quite limited. Several researchers have dealt with this topic so far, to a lesser or wider extent. Yet none of them fully devoted their works to the publication of the Hrdinas. What is more, most of them did not take the aforementioned piece into account at all. This situation only confirms the necessity of creating this study. Marian Leśny is an example of a researcher that explored the topic of mine tourism. In a collective work emphasising the importance of the Wieliczka salt mine, he tried to recreate a general picture of Wieliczka tourism. Yet in his publication he referred to the 1842 text only indirectly, i.e. he took advantage of the aforementioned study by Piotr Kurowski. The issues of interest to us were addressed by Zbigniew Szybiński, who analysed the intensity of the underground tourism from the beginning of its existence to the present day in an article entitled Tourist Movement in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. In his work, notwithstanding, he did not include the 1842 publication. There are still two more interesting studies by Iwona Pawłowska-Pich and Leszek Rzepka, but due to thematic scopes adopted by both authors, Geshichte der Wieliczkaer Saline was not included in their source list. Other publications that are known to us are either source publications or, because of their topics, are based on a specific, selected source and do not relate directly to the issue that interests us.
Authors and Affiliations
Barbara Konwerska
Keywords
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