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The Secrets of the Salt Mine from Parajd

In the eastern part of Transylvania, on Szekler's Land there is a region - the only one - that was named after its mineral resources the Szekler Salt-Region. The collective name, Salt Region was first used in 1659 in the network of the following localities: Sóvárad, Szováta, Illyésmező, Parajd, Sófalva, Atyha, Siklód, Szolokma and Korond. Here, in this wonderfullittle region is situated the salt yard,one of the biggest places in Europe where salt can be found. The huge salt mass,which is 1,2 times 1,4 km in diameter, is slightly elliptic and it has its roots at an astonishing depth - 2,7 km.  

The salt yard from Parajd holds more kinds of geological, historical, mineral and therapeutic secrets. The salt treasure of Parajd hides an amount of salt that can be extracted in hundreds of years and it is one of the bottomless treasure troves in Transylvania.

In Transylvania the history of salt mining traces back to Roman times. The outcropped "salt-cuts" that had been left by the retreating Romans, were first exploited by the Avers then by the Bulgarians. One of the commander-in-chiefs of the conquering Hungarians (Töhötöm) was informed by his spies that they were "digging" salt in Transylvania. After 1003 the ships of Saint Stephan were already transporting salt on the River Maros.

In Parajd underground mining began in 1762 when they opened the bell ("high cap") shaped József (Joseph) mine, under the leadership of the Austrian mine officer Johann Frendl. The extracted salt was drawn to the surface by four horses in buff leather but in 1765 they could still see extractions on the surface. The year 1787 is the beginning of systematic mining, when the salt mine in Parajd became the propriety of the Vienesse Treasury. According to Balázs Orbán the whole region of the Szeklers and Saxons was using salt from Parajd. In 1864 they opened the trapezoid shaped Parallel-mine simultaneously with widening the Nándor-mine. In 1898 they begin explotting the Erzsébet (Elisabeth)-search site in the northwestern part of the salt back.

After the First World War (1920) the Romanian polity reorganized the medieval methods of salt mining in Transylvania and Maramures. In 1945 they introduced extraction by explosions.

In 1972 they began the opening of a new mine section in the northeast of Sóhát (Salt  Back) but they gave up work because of bad quality show signs. In 1978 they esteblished new depth levels with unique chamber-measurements in our country ( 12 m high, 20 m wide and 200 m long) under the old mine chambers. Later, in 1991 they began working on the Telegdy-mine section in the northeast. Here the measurements of the chambers were: 16 m wide and 8 m high. The quadratic stanchions have a cross-section of 14 m times 14 m.

As far as the therapeutic effect of the salt mine from Parajd is concerned, here the climato- and speleotherapy began in the 1960s in the old chambers of the enlarged György Dózsa-mine. Having the results from the Polish Wieliczka as a starting-point the mine manager Károly Telegdy and Dr. Árpád Veres physician tried the underground treatment of chronic respiratory illnesses. Since 198ö they have equipped the therapy section for visitors at the +402 m level and a depth of 120 m from the surface of the ground. From the entrance of the mine a 1250 long underground bus road leads to the speleo and climatotherapic salt chambers. The large mine chambers are provided with electricity and constant aeration. There is also a playground an ecumenical chapel, a buffet, many seats and table tennis that make the obligatory four hours daily stay more varied. Physiotherapy lead by a specialist, badminton, renting toys for children, a little historic museum, photo exhibitions, countless works of art and a mini library make this special underground world more homelike. Physical safety by a constantly present medical supervision, moral comfort is provided by the underground ecumenical chapel that was dedicated to Nepomuki Szent János. (Saint John from Nepomuki) in 1993.

The salt from Parajd has been called "Szekler salt" since the XV century, that provided the Transylvanian region and its people with a name, a right (the salt right), work and living possibilities for long centuries. Last but not least it provides the taste and soul of famous Szekler an Transylvanian foods. The huge salt region from Parajd has a last carrefully kept secret, the magic of timelessness. The one who unravels this - will gain eternity - might be petrified.

                                                                       (Compiled by Horváth István, Translated by István Gizella)