Soledar Salt Mine

The Soledar Salt Mines (also called Artemsil Salt Mines after the State Enterprise Association Artemsil that operates the mines) are located in the city/suburb of Soledar in the Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, which is controlled by Russia since the Battle of Soledar.

Soledar Salt Mine
Soledar Salt Mine concert hall
Location
LocationSoledar
OblastDonetsk
CountryUkraine
Production
ProductsSalt
TypeUnderground
Greatest depth288 metres (945 ft)

The scale of the mines is vast, with 125 mi (201 km) of tunnels[1] at a depth of 288 m (945 ft),[2] and many of the chambers are 30 m (98 ft) in height.[3] The largest resembles a hangar of about 100 m (330 ft) length and 40 m (130 ft) width and height, and has accommodated soccer matches and the inflation of a hot air balloon.[4] There are accommodation areas in the chambers and even a church.[5]

The temperature underground is constant at 14–15 °C, with 14.93 PSI air pressure and 60% humidity regardless of the time of the year,[6][7] giving rise to claims of healing properties for lung conditions.[8]

History

The mining of salt started in the town of Soledar in the 19th century.[9]

Russian invasion of Ukraine
Main article: Battle of Soledar

During the Battle of Soledar on 5 January 2023, the Wagner Group and Russian Armed Forces took parts of Soledar's east, forcing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to step back and take up defences further west and in the central parts of Soledar.[10] On 10 January 2023, pro-Russian outlets, including Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed the mines were largely occupied by Russian and Wagner Forces, although these reports were not independently verified.[11] However, between 11 and 13 January 2023, major Russian offensives towards the central part of Soledar made large progress. At the same time, Russian forces north and south of Soledar made large advances over the countryside to the roads, threatening encirclement of the central parts of Soledar. Thus, the Ukrainians were forced to step back to the west of Soledar, putting much of the Soledar Salt Mine under Russian control.[12]

Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic quasi-state, said during a visit to Soledar in late January 2023 that the salt mines remained damaged and difficult to descend into.[13]

Non-mining activities
This section is an excerpt from Soledar § Salt mine tourism.[edit]
The underground "concert hall" in Soledar's mines
A "speleosanitorium"

Soledar's long history of mining has created an "underground city" of tunnels[14] that Deutsche Welle described as a "magnet for tourists".[15] There are guided tours as deep as 200–300 metres (660–980 ft), with attractions including sculptures made of salt crystals.[15]

In 2004 and 2006, a cave was repurposed to host classical music concerts by the Donetsk Symphony Orchestra underground.[14] In September 2020, the same chamber was also used for a soccer (football) match.[16][14] It was also host to the first-ever underground hot air balloon flight, as listed in the Guinness Book of Records.[17]

Since the early 1990s,[17] the chambers have also contained "speleosanatoriums":[15] rooms made of salt that attempt to "recreate the allegedly restorative conditions of salt mines",[18] where 100 patients with respiratory diseases are treated.[15] This practice is part of the controversial halotherapy industry, in which it is believed that the inhalation of salt dust is a "miracle cure for respiratory illnesses".[18]

A particle physics detector, the Artyomovsk Scintillation Detector, is located in the mine.

See also

References
  1. Salt mines of Soledar at travel to Ukraine Blogspot.
  2. Solidar Salt Mines Archived 2017-01-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. The salt mines in Soledar Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Solidar Salt Mines Archived 2017-01-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. Soledar (Salt mines) at discover Ukraine.com.
  6. Solidar Salt Mines Archived 2017-01-05 at the Wayback Machine at Explore Ukraine.com.
  7. Salt mines of Soledar at travel to Ukraine Blogspot.
  8. Salt Mines of Soledar or Underground Fairytale?.
  9. The salt mines in Soledar Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  11. Balmforth, Tom; Smilianets, Vladyslav (2023-01-11). "Russia's Wagner mercenaries battle Ukrainian resistance in Soledar's town centre". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  12. "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  13. "Head of Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk says visited Soledar". Reuters. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  14. "Take a look inside the incredible 'underground city' carved from salt that Russia and Ukraine are battling over". The vast salt mines are owned by state enterprise Artemsil, which was one the biggest producers of salt in Europe, but halted operations following Russia's invasion in February.
  15. "Бои за Соледар: что нужно знать о пригороде Бахмута" [Battles for Soledar: what you need to know about the suburb of Bakhmut]. Deutsche Welle.
  16. MacDonald, Alistair; Pyrozhok, Oksana. "Giant Ukrainian Salt Mine Takes Center Stage in War". The Wall Street Journal.
  17. Dorosh, Svitlana (12 January 2023). "Соледар. Цікаві факти про місто, бій за яке називають божевіллям". BBC (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  18. Chapple, Amos (11 January 2023). "Salt of the Earth: Deep Inside Eastern Ukraine's Massive Soledar Mines". Retrieved January 21, 2023.

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