Ovidiu Mera: “The mine is much older than us. Its oldest documentary mention is from May 1, 1271, sometime after the oldest documented reference to the town of Turda itself under its present name, which dates back to 1075, when the salt customs station was set up on the road between Aries and Mures, especially for the salt exported from Turda. Salt mining has been going on for centuries here, and the town prospered, taking advantage of the rich salt deposits. The development of the city led to its being the seat of the Transylvanian Diet, it was a place where religious worship was liberalized, and it provided untold riches to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That is how things stood in 1932, when the salt mine in Turda was shut down, as the mine started being used for various other purposes. It was used as an air raid shelter during the war, and a storage area for cheeses until 1990. In 1992, the mine was turned into a tourist objective.”

For several years, the Turda salt mine struggled financially, and in 2000 the modernization process kicked off. It was funded with PHARE financing, was worth 5,800,000 Euros and was implemented between 2008 and 2009. The salt mine spa had its official opening on January 22, 2010. The spa is divided into several compartments, such as the Terezia mine, the Rudolf mine, the Franz Joseph gallery, Crivac Hall, and the Hall of Appeal. Tourists can get treatment here or simply relax. The salt mine has been set up so as to strike a balance between Turda’s tourist and treatment potential. Ovidiu Mera told us some specifics:

Ovidiu Mera: “The therapeutic sludge and salt water have been used here since 1840, when doctor Iosif Hanko laid the basis for a spa in the salt bath area. Using the salt air micro-climate for treating respiratory conditions or for boosting immunity was a beneficial addition. The Turda salt mine is unique in Europe due to the geometry and configuration of its mining chambers, its mining techniques, and the means of transportation used along the years. You can’t find anywhere else chambers that go 90 meters high and that have 80 to 90 meters in base diameters, or trapezoid chambers 40 meters wide, 80 meters long, and 40 to 50 meters high. It is a spectacular to see the Karst formations, the salt efflorescence or the stalactites. The silence is broken only sometimes by the drops falling from the tips of the stalactites on the surface of the underground lake in Terezia mine. This is a wonderful world, hard to find anywhere else.”

Ovidiu Mera went on to mention some of the modern amenities that can be found in Turda salt mine spa:

Ovidiu Mera: “We designed and built two elevators. A panoramic elevator linking Rudolf Mine, elevation 35, to the mine hearth, elevation zero. A second elevator links the Rudolf mine hearth to Terezia mine. Everything we’ve made was designed for the tourist who comes here for treatment to have a great time and to pursue various activities. On the island on Terezia mine we have four stationing points, we built a bridge passageway between the base of the elevator and the island, and also a pontoon where you can take a boat for a ride on the underground lake.”

In Turda, tourists can find ancient vestiges, a restored medieval town, as well as a salt mine modernized for recreation and treatment.