Salina Turda: an underground theme park in a salt mine

Salina Turda is an old salt mine located deep underground in the town of Turda in Romania. Salt was first extracted here during the antiquity, and the mine continuously produced table salt from the Middle Ages till the early 20th century. The extraction was stopped in 1932, after which the mines served various functions—they were a bomb shelter during World War II, and even used for cheese storage later.


In 1992, the mine was opened to the public and transformed into a museum cum amusement park with bowling lanes, an amphi-theater, mini golf, a ferris wheel, spa and even an underground lake with boating facilities. The elevators that were once used to transport salt, today ferries people up and down.

Strategically installed lights accentuate the textured surface. One of the most prominent features is a panoramic wheel that lets tourists see the stalagmites that have formed over the cave’s 1000-year-old history.
The museum includes three mines: the Terezia mine reaches the deepest at 120 meters, followed by the Anton mine at 108 meters, and finally the Rudolf mine at 42 meters. Supported by various rooms and smaller chambers used during its operational days, the rooms are massive and were excavated entirely by hand—making their sheer size even more impressive.