Nestled in the town of Turda, located in the southeastern part of the country, 34.2 km from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, Salina Turda is one of the oldest and largest salt mines in Europe, converted into Salina Turda Theme Park, a surreal underground theme park, situated over 380 feet (100 m) below the earth, in a historic 2,000-year-old salt mine, featuring a 65.61feet (29 m) tall panoramic Ferris wheel, bowling alleys, pool tables, mini-golf, an amphitheatre with180 heated seat for shows and concerts, and even rowboats on an underground lake, offering rowing across an inky-black underground lake beneath stalactite formations above. Aesthetically decorated with modern lighting, highlighting the stunning salt formations, and offering a constantly maintained cool temperature of around 11° to13°C (50° to 52°F), and a subterranean experience, it is also known to offer therapeutic benefits for respiratory problems.

The surreal journey to the wonderland begins at the entrance of the mine through a dimly lit tunnel, requiring the visitors to negotiate 13 flights of stairs of around 172 steps downwards or to take a ride by a glass elevator to descend directly, which offers a glass-sided panoramic view of the mine. Halfway down, the elevator clears the ceiling of the adjacent cavernous Rudolf Mine, and its contents come into view, which almost resembles a science fiction movie set, complete with chandeliers emitting glaring lights, brightly illuminating the huge cages and giant mechanical structures. After emerging from the elevator, visitors are greeted by a huge space, a neon-lit wonderland, unveiling the heart of Salina Turda's unimaginable attractions.

Salina Turda, reckoned by the Business Insider magazine several years back as one of the 25 hidden global treasures worth exploring, is the world's largest salt mine with a history spanning about 2000 years. While it is commonly believed that the Romans initiated a small mining activity in the region around two thousand years ago, records indicate that significant mining and development of the site began in the middle of the 11th century. For the next 900 years, miners used various hand tools to extract salt and were compensated with florins, gold and silver coins, bread, and ale. During those days, the mine produced both table salt and salt for other purposes until it permanently shut down in 1932. After its closure, the vast caverns found new uses during World War II, when they were used as bomb shelters and later converted into a cheese storage.

Finally, a group of Romanian architects designed to turn the closed Salina Turda mine into a museum, highlighting its history of operations, and also incorporating several recreational activities, to make it more attractive for visitors. Eventually, the doors of the former salt mine, converted into a magical underground theme park, opened to the public in 1952, earning instant acclaim. However, a major modernisation and expansion of the park was completed in January 2010, transforming it to one of the country’s premier attractions, with over 600,000 tourists and locals visiting annually.

Apart from the popular recreational attractions, the other attractions of the Salina Turda Theme Park include the Losif Mine, a conical chamber 367 feet (112 m) deep and 220 feet (67 m) wide at the base, located next to the Franz Josef Gallery, which can be visited through the balconies carved in salt. It is known as the Echoes Room, as the mine has a capacity to create powerful echoes due to its shape and lack of communication with the other major mining points. The octagonal room, known as the Crivac Room, hosts a winch, a primitive machine dating from 1881, used to lift salt rocks on the surface, the only machine of its kind in all the salt mines in Romania and probably in Europe that remains in its original location, and was replaced by a smaller one, installed in 1864.

The Terezia Mine, a conical mine (bell mine), left behind underground halls of impressive dimensions of 300 feet (90 m) high and 285 feet (87 m) diameter, while the depth from the mouth of the shafts to the base of the mine is 367 feet (112 m). The mine contains a cascade of salt, a stunningly massive sparkling white salt deposit, resembling a frozen waterfall, cascading down the 295-feet (90 m) high conical walls of the mine towards the underground lake, occupying about 80 percent of the operating room hearth area. There is an island in the centre of the lake, formed from residual low-grade salt deposited here after 1880, the year in which salt mining ended in the room. An arched pedestrian bridge with triangular trusses, mostly made of wood to resist salt corrosion, connects the main floor to the lake’s island. The Gizela mine, located 49 feet (15 m) above the transport gallery, currently serves as a spa treatment room with natural aerosols, while its underground gallery constitutes a geological reserve, with no access allowed to tourists.

With more than 2,000 years of history, beautifully preserved galleries, and a carefully designed underground attraction, Romania’s Salina Turda stands as the largest salt mine museum in the world, and is undoubtedly one of the most amazing places to visit. the most amazing places to visit. The wonderful and unusual underground magical world , brought to light by the hard work of the miners of the area, now features a lot of modern attractions, and apart from serving as an eternal source of health benefits, offers a variety of activities, designed to enjoy leisure time in a pleasant way.