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Known as the largest salt mine from Europe, Slanic Prahova is, today, one of the most important balneoclimateric resort from Romania, situated between Prahova and Teleajenului valleys, at about 44 km from Ploiesti and at the height of 400 meters.
The Mountain of Salt, the only one in the world, The Bride’s Grotto (Grota Miresei), The Baciu’s Bath, The green Bath and The Salt Mine Union, are only a few of the resort’s attractions. According to the documents, more than 300 years it was an important place of salt exploitation.

Slanic Prahova - The bride’s Grotto (Grota Miresei).

As natural factories of treatment there are The Old Salt Mine (Unirea), transformed in sanatorium, at the depth of 210 meters, for the treatment of the lungs diseases in a microclimate of salty air, the possibility to take a warm bath in mineral waters, cold baths in the lake, warm mud applications, for gynecological treatments and for electrotherapy; the mineral water springs (having compounds of calcium, chlorine, sodium, sulphur) and the The Baciu’s Bath, The Red Bath, The Swan’s Bath, The Green Lake, with a high concentration of salt, are used in the treatments of several rheumatic diseases.
The quartering possibilities are lots, from the Balneal Complex’s rooms to the mansions, pensions and private houses.
Unique in the country and in Europe, the salt mine is formed of 14 rooms, trapezium shaped, having an 32 meters opening at the lower part, a tray of 10 meters and a height of 45 metres. The entire area is of 78 000 square metres and the excavated space is of 2.9 millions cubic meters of salt. The ventilation, it is possible on the natural way, and the temperature is 12 degrees Celsius all over the year. The disposed sanatorium has here 50 places and a treatment of 2 weeks it is enough for the patients with pulmonary problems. Also, in the salt mine are disposed playgrounds, sport field, a hall with billiard tables and a refreshment room.

The Statue of Decebal - Slanic Prahova Salt Mine.

The tourists can also admire Traian’s and Decebal’s statues, worked in salt, by the artist Iustin Nastase.
Other tourist attractions from the area are The bride’s Lake or The bride’s Grotto (Grota Miresei) (425 square meters, 20 meters in depth) which formed in 1914, because of the collapsing of a salt mine, the swimming places from the The Baciu’s Bath, Crasna Monastery or The Memorial House Nicolae Iorga.

To get to Slanic Prahova by car, from Bucuresti it is taken the road DN1 to Ploiesti and then there are 2 choices: or the Teleajenului Valley or the Varbilaului and Slanicului Valley from Plopeni. On the railroad, it is taken the Bucuresti - Ploiesti - Maneciu route and it is continued on the road to Cheia - Brasov.

The interior of salt mine.

The Saline’s History

According to the existent documents, the Slanic estate was bought by the Mihai Cantacuzino spatharus in about 1685. The first exploitation was opened in 1688 on the Green Valley and a few years later at the Baciu’s Bath. Eventually, in 1713, the Slanic estate was donated to The Coltea Monastery from Bucharest.
In 1881 the Carol’s mine was opened, and from there was extracted salt during 61 years, until 1953, and since 1912 the Mihai’s mine is opened.
Otherwise, in 1912, the Mihai mine was the first to become a electrical illumined mine, and since 1931 there were tried new ways of exploitation, using explosives and coal-cutting machines. In 1943, they tread on to another gallery, called The Union, situated under the Mihai and Carol mines. Then, from 1970 until 1992, it has been worked at the exploitation of Victoria mine.