Soledar Salt Mine is a major salt mining complex in Ukraine. The salt mine is one of the largest in all of Europe with 200 km of tunnels and a depth of 288 meters. Many of the chambers are 30 meters in height. The largest of the rooms, resembling a hangar, is about 100 meters long and 40 meters wide. The salt mining in the town of Soledar started in the late 19th century.
The underground temperature of the mine is constant at 14-15 C°, and the humidity is at 60% regardless of the time of the year. For that reason, many people believe that the salt mine has healing properties for respiratory illnesses.
The long history of mining of Soledar proved to be an attraction center for tourists. There are guided tours with attractions such as galleries and sculptures made of crystals. In 2004 and 2006, a cave was repurposed to host classical music concerts. In September 2020, the same chamber was used to host a football match.
Unfortunately, the Soledar Salt Mine suffered great damage during the Russian-Ukrainian War and is currently defunct.
