This updated version of Wieliczka: The Salt of the Earth is created to reach a broad and diverse audience, both in Poland and internationally. Guided by Jerzy Stuhr, the film builds upon the original’s success while offering a deeper, more immersive exploration of the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Since 1998
Wieliczka – The Salt of the Earth is a documentary journey into one of Europe’s most extraordinary underground worlds. Filmed over many years, the film explores the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland—one of the world’s oldest continuously operating salt mines and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Reaching back to the 13th century, the documentary traces the mine’s long and complex history, revealing how generations of miners shaped not only the underground chambers, chapels, and sculptures carved from rock salt, but also a distinct cultural and spiritual world beneath the surface. The film takes viewers into chambers that have been closed in recent years, as well as into areas of the mine that are not accessible to the general public, offering rare access beyond established tourist routes. These monumental spaces are more than artistic achievements; they are testimonies to faith, labor, and collective memory.
Beyond its visual splendor, the film confronts the harsh realities of life underground. It brings forward the demanding and often dangerous conditions endured by miners, giving voice to the men whose work sustained the mine and whose lives became inseparable from it. Through careful narration and observation, their stories emerge as a central part of Wieliczka’s legacy.
Combining evocative cinematography with a human-centered perspective, Wieliczka – The Salt of the Earth is not a tourist portrait, but a reflective documentary about time, work, and endurance. It invites viewers to experience the mine not as a spectacle, but as a living historical space shaped by centuries of human effort.
HIDDEN WONDERS
HIDDEN WONDERS
Hidden Wonders invites viewers into the lesser-known depths of the Wieliczka Salt Mine—beyond familiar images and established tourist routes. This chapter of the film reveals an underground world shaped by centuries of labor, belief, and quiet endurance, bringing forward stories and spaces rarely seen by the public.
What the film reveals:
The Deep History of Wieliczka
Tracing the mine’s origins back to the Middle Ages, the film explores how salt shaped the region’s economy, daily life, and cultural identity. History unfolds not as dates and facts, but as a lived experience carved into stone.
Hidden Chambers and Crystal Formations
The documentary enters chambers that have been closed in recent years and areas not accessible to visitors, revealing crystal structures and geological formations preserved in darkness for generations.
Salt as Art and Devotion
Beyond function, salt became a medium of expression. Sculptures, chapels, and reliefs carved by miners reflect faith, craftsmanship, and a profound relationship between humans and the underground world they inhabited.
Life Beyond the Tourist Route
Rather than following the familiar paths taken by millions of visitors, the film moves deeper—into working zones, forgotten corridors, and silent spaces where the mine’s true scale and complexity emerge.
An Immersive Visual Experience
Through carefully composed cinematography and immersive sound design, viewers are drawn into vast chambers, subterranean lakes, and narrow passageways, experiencing the mine as a living environment rather than a spectacle.
Knowledge Earned Underground
The film offers insight into the harsh conditions faced by generations of miners, the dangers they endured, and the ingenuity required to extract salt deep below the surface. Their work shaped not only the mine, but an entire cultural heritage.
Hidden Wonders is not about discovery in the tourist sense, but about revelation—an encounter with a hidden world where history, labor, and human resilience remain etched into salt and stone.
Guided by Jerzy Stuhr — In Memoriam
For centuries, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has drawn people beneath the earth—long before the ideas of tourism or World Heritage existed. Shaped by the quiet collaboration between human labor and nature, the mine stands as a testament to endurance, belief, and craftsmanship across generations.
In this film, Jerzy Stuhr serves as your guide—not in the traditional sense, but as a thoughtful narrator and cultural companion. One of Poland’s most respected actors, his presence leads viewers through the underground world with insight, warmth, and authority, giving voice to the mine’s history and human stories.
This film is among Jerzy Stuhr’s final screen appearances. His narration carries particular weight—imbued with reflection, dignity, and a deep sense of cultural memory. Through his voice, the mine unfolds as more than a place of extraction, becoming a meditation on time, work, and human perseverance.
Rather than offering a conventional tour, the film invites viewers into a deeper encounter with Wieliczka. Sculptures carved from salt, chapels shaped by faith, and silent chambers formed by labor and time emerge through Stuhr’s presence, guiding the viewer beyond surfaces and into meaning.
This cinematic journey stands not only as an exploration of an extraordinary underground world, but also as a tribute to Jerzy Stuhr’s enduring legacy—honoring one of Poland’s most distinctive voices and his final contribution to cultural storytelling.
LANGUAGES & SOUND
Wieliczka – The Salt of the Earth is available in over 30 languages, making the film accessible to audiences across cultures and regions worldwide. Viewers can choose between dubbed narration or subtitles, ensuring clarity and ease of access regardless of language preference.
The film is presented in 5.1 Surround Sound, offering a rich and immersive auditory experience that complements the visuals. Subtle acoustic details—from echoing footsteps in vast underground chambers to the quiet presence of water in subterranean lakes—enhance the sense of depth and atmosphere, drawing viewers deeper into the world of the mine.
Narrated Versions:
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.
Subtitles:
Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Czech, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Latvian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian.
For Your Digital Collection
ORDER THE MOVIE
If you have experienced Wieliczka – The Salt of the Earth on demand and wish to keep the film as part of your digital collection, it is available for purchase.
Owning the film allows you to return to the underground world of the Wieliczka Salt Mine at your own pace—whether to revisit its visual and historical depth, share the experience with others, or explore the mine’s story through the voice of Jerzy Stuhr. Adding the film to your library ensures lasting access to a work shaped by years of documentation and cultural commitment.
WIELICZKA – THE SALT OF THE EARTH
Duration: 42 minutes
Picture Format: Full HD 1920 × 1080 (16:9)
Sound: 5.1 Surround Sound
Available in over 30 languages
Narrated Versions:
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.
Subtitles:
Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Czech, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Latvian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian.
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1 videoMULTI-LANGUAGE SUBTITLES
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Bulgarian, Belarusian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Latvian, Norwegian, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian. -
Wieliczka - The Salt of the Earth in English
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Wieliczka - The Salt of the Earth in Polish
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