Wieliczka salt mine

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• Wieliczka Salt mine is located in south central Poland

The Wieliczka Salt Mine opened as a concentration camp on September 7th 1939. The salt mine was the oldest mine in Europe that was in use before the war.

The prisoners were sent there to make military equipment but before they could begin manufacturing they were forced to take apart all equipment because the Soviet Union was coming. They also mined salt.

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camp leaders

• Kurt Von Velsen was the mine manager.
• Henryk Echtermayer was the  underground operations manager.

Now the Wielczka Salt mine is open for tours. The mine is still functioning.

They threw the bodies into salt lakes.

The people in the camps were worked and starved to death.

DEaths at Wieliczka

• 4,000 died in the work camp. 
• 50% of the suburban area were killed in the mine
• Almost all were white Jews