Ukraine List

In a recent post I covered the opening of a bridge between Romania and Ukraine, so I thought I would do a follow-up post on the Ukrainian town of Solotvyno, which is a well-known salt mining town. Actually, the town’s name is derived from the Ukrainian word for “salt” and salt has been in its history before the Roman times.

(Solotvyno Mine)

The mine itself (established in 1871) looks like any other industrial site, but its drabness belies a more interesting story. Solotvyno is actually a center for speleotherapy — or ‘cave therapy’ that uses salt environments in mines and caves to treat illnesses. The speleotherapy facility located in the Solotvyno is the deepest such facility in the world.

(Ukrainian Allergological Hospital)

Speleotherapy in Solotvyno essentially uses the micro-climates in the underground salt mines to treat respiratory and lung ailments. The ancient Greeks reportedly also used salt environments as a therapy, but the modern tradition started in Poland in the 1800s. Basically, someone noticed that salt mine workers suffered from fewer lung problems, and later on a treatment system was started using salt mines near Krakow. You can read a short history here, but it must also be noted that western doctors remain skeptical of the curative effects of salt. But then again, there is no shortage of adherents who claim success with the treatment either.

Salt therapy isn’t only in mine shafts though. Another variant of the therapy called, halotherapy, uses salt-coated rooms and an aerosol form of salt that can be inhaled. The treatment in Solotvyno, however, uses a deep mine shaft (300 meters), and the walls look like a white crystallized marble. A normal treatment period usually lasts twenty-four days and involves around twenty visits to the underground facility. The length of time in the salt mine may vary from a few hours to an overnight stay, but it also depends upon the seriousness of the illness and age of the patient.

The cost of such treatment for non-Ukrainian adults is around 600 Euros, and it is 1,000 Euros for a mother and child. The cost for Ukrainians is lower. Anywhere from three to five thousand people are treated every year at the facility, and there is often a waiting list to get treatment.

Also of note is the salt lake near Solotvyno that formed in the 1950s. The lake is called Kunigunda, and it attracts thousands of visitors in the summer, especially those seeking relief from joint pain. For those wanting to take a tour of the sites, the Ukrainian Youth Hostels Association and Navkolo Svitu both offer excursions to the salt mines and lake.

Other Resources:

A history of Solotvyno.

A BBC story on Solotvyno.

The Solotvyno Allergological Hospital website.

Wikipedia gives some early history of Solotvyno back to the 2nd century.

Pictures are from speleoterapia.org.