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Wieliczka

File:Wieliczka_widok_na_Zamek_Żupny_Sztygarówkę_Rynek_Górny_w_Wieliczce.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Wieliczka (; ) is a historic town in southern Poland, situated within the Kraków metropolitan area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. The town was initially founded in 1290 by Premislaus II of Poland. Nowadays, it is mostly known for the Wieliczka Salt Mine, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and the historic old town core which was listed as one of National Polish Monuments in 1994. The population in 2023 was estimated at 27,845.

OverviewAI-generated

Wieliczka is a city in Poland, located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and serving as the capital of Wieliczka County. The settlement was established in 1123 and has at various times been part of the Duchy of Warsaw, the Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire. It is situated within the administrative entity of Gmina Wieliczka, though it is a distinct entity from the gmina itself.

The city covers an area of 13.41 square kilometers and sits at an elevation of 261 meters above sea level. Its population is recorded as 26,599, with 12,810 males. Wieliczka uses the postal code 32-020 and the license plate code KWI. The town is twinned with Bergkamen, Saint-André-lez-Lille, Sesto Fiorentino, and Litovel.

Synthesized by Vinony from 52 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

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Place details

Locality
Wieliczka
Region
województwo małopolskie
Country
Polska
Population
18,677
Timezone
Europe/Warsaw

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Air quality

49US AQIGood
PM2.5
11.0 µg/m³
PM10
15.9 µg/m³
As of 2026-08-11 03:00 · Open-Meteo

Key facts

Settlement.name
Wieliczka
Settlement.settlement_type
Town
Settlement.image_skyline
Wieliczka widok na Zamek Żupny Sztygarówkę Rynek Górny w Wieliczce.jpg
Settlement.image_caption
Panorama of Wieliczka
Settlement.image_flag
POL Wieliczka flag.svg
Settlement.flag_size
140
Settlement.image_shield
POL Wieliczka COA 1.svg
Settlement.pushpin_map
Poland
Settlement.pushpin_label_position
bottom
Settlement.subdivision_type
Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1
Voivodeship
Settlement.subdivision_type2
County
Settlement.subdivision_type3
Gmina
Settlement.subdivision_name1
Lesser Poland
Settlement.subdivision_name2
Wieliczka
Settlement.subdivision_name3
Wieliczka
Settlement.established_title
Established
Settlement.established_date
1123–1127

via Wikipedia infobox

Travel guide

Get in

It is easily accessible from Kraków by car, bus or train (the trip from Kraków should take around 30 minutes). You can look at routes and buy tickets directly on the official Jakdojade app.

MPK in Kraków buses 204, 244 (or 904 at night). Bus 304 or 274 (6 zł, blue-and-white buses operated by Kraków city, the first stop of 304 is in front of Galeria Krakowska) makes frequent trips to and from the mines. There are 5 Wieliczka stops in total; get off at Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli (look for a giant "SALT MINES" sign). The ride takes ~40 minutes. There is also a train to Wieliczka that lets off a short (and well-marked) walk from the mine (last stop of the train). Regional Bus Station in Kraków

Get around

The town is small enough to be covered by foot for its tourist attractions.

Buy

There are many shops and souvenir stands, many of which sell bags of salt from the mine.

Eat

There are several places to eat and drink around the salt mine and in the town centre.

Go next

Most onward routes take you back to Kraków. Bochnia - town with another a bit smaller salt mine, less crowded counterpart of Wieliczka Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - monastery complex just outside of Kraków

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

16 sections
Contents
  • Geographic location
  • Culture
  • History
  • Medieval times
  • 17th to 18th century
  • 18th to 19th century
  • 20th to 21st century
  • Sport
  • Economy
  • International relations
  • Twin towns – Sister cities
  • Notable residents
  • Gallery
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Wieliczka (; ) is a historic town in southern Poland, situated within the Kraków metropolitan area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. The town was initially founded in 1290 by Premislaus II of Poland. Nowadays, it is mostly known for the Wieliczka Salt Mine, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and the historic old town core which was listed as one of National Polish Monuments in 1994. The population in 2023 was estimated at 27,845.

==Geographic location== The city of Wieliczka lies in the south central part of Poland, within the Małopolska (Lesser Poland) province. The city is located to the southeast of Kraków and not far from the town of Niepołomice. The Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the world's oldest operating salt mines, has been established on significant salt deposits which are also present in nearby Bochnia.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Wieliczka” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (16)

On the map

3 mapped locations