Geology

The Basin of Praid is situated on the East coast of the Transylvania Basin ("a huge salt cellar") at the base of Gurghiu Mountains, that forms a micro region so called "The zone of Salt Mines". The geographical zone of the salt mines is unique in its way and the name of "The salt region" comes from the salt mine of Praid. The first document with this name appears in the XVIII-th century, where are inventoried the pastures from the zone. The Basin of Praid lays around the "Hill of Salt" that contains Praid village and the two another "salt villages": Ocna de Jos and Ocna de Sus. The basin has a triangular form and is oriented at the South to Corund village and at the north-west to Sovata. The basin of Praid is separated from the rest of Transylvania by the following hills: Sálas - Firtus (1062 m), Fiasmál ( 983 m ), the stone of Cusmed (991), the stone of Siklód (1025 m ). The Hill of the Salt is called by the local people "salt back" (the highest point - 576m), covers the biggest salt body from the country, its roots are buried underground at 2,7 - 3km in depth. In horizontal section the salt diapir has an elliptic form, with diameters of 1,2 - 14km and in vertical section has a huge mushroom shape. This irregular form is a characteristic of the salt bodies from Transylvania. (for ex. the salt body from Ocna Mures). This salt settlement is one of the biggest from Europe. Its reserve could provide the salt need for Europe for hundreds of yearsb in future. The salt from Transylvania Basin, as the salt from Praid is very old (Badenian inferior age - the middle Miocen age), something about 20 - 22 million years ago. The beginnings of the salt mining history lasts since roman period. In written documents there are remembered four surface excavations ("amphitheatre" type) and some bricks with the inscription: LVM ( Legio V. Macedonica). The excavations left by Roman were continued by Avars and later by Bulgars. In migration people period ( Goths, Huns, Gepyds ) people didn’t extract salt from here. The spies of Töhötöm (one of the Hungarian conquest’s leader) were reporting to him that in Transylvania people are "digging" salt. The ships of King István I, which transported the salt were regulary on traffic after the year 1003, upon the Maros river. These were many times rifted by the pegan combatants of the leader Ajtony. So King István was forced to punish the rebels with the help of a smaller campaign. There were more frequent the simple hungarian names of the salt delivers than the long Christian names, in this time. The most ancient mark for "székely" people ("scicul", "scichul") appears for the first time at King László I in a document from 1092. The first written reference about mining in Praid is a document by King András the III rd (from 1291), where he refers to the king’s right over the salt mines (the letter appears in the "Study of Transylvanian settlements" written by dr. Schmidt Elegius Robert). It is evident that the salt mine start functioning regularly in Praid since 1200 years, and in that time it belonged to the Salt Administration of Turda. In year 1405 King Zsigmond of Luxemburg forbids to the landowners opening mines in their territory. Endre II Hungarian king enacted the law that székely and szász people can bring salt for themselves three times in the year from the mine. In 1463 King Mátyás strengthen the székely’s free salt exploitation and trader right. The same atitude comes from Majláth István - Transylvanian voievode, when he assured free salt right for the székely nation. After the rebbelions from 1562 János Zsigmond II, occupied the Salt Mine from Praid to the king Chamber’s right. In the 1568’s Parliament from Torda city, the székely nobles get their rights back but the serves didn’t. Báthori Zsigmond promised to restore the ancient rights but after the Turkish defeat (with székely peoples help) he repeals his liberating letter in 1595. An other newer promise from Mihai Viteazu alpine voievode’s part flashed again the possibility of regain their ancient rights. After the victorious battle from Sellemberk he gave them what he promised. In 1601 Báthori Zsigmond is again elected as reigning prince. He gives back to székely seats their old human rights with separate delivered documents. Almost among all Transylvanian princeps condition figured the respect for székely people ancient human rights - and acording to this - they had the freedom for Salt right. This is the way how Báthori Gábor (1603), Bocskai István (1605), Bethlen Gábor (1613) and Rákóczi György (1631) were elected. After the free székelys complain to Rákóczi György II, the Diet from 1651 gives back the free Salt right, but limited the salt consumption for house use. Parajd and Sófalva have been already competing for theownership of salt mine since 1567. At the 1585 anual Parliament the one who represents the saltmine is Parajd, but in 1591 and 1662 through a tax register ordered by the princep Apafi Mihály, Sófalva occurs like owner of the mine. The salt free of charge that belonged legally to székelys is given back for a short period of time during the war of independence runed by Rákóczi Ferenc II. But this rights were taken back in 1714, when the salt exploitation becomes a Habsburg privilege. In this time the salt price grows up much, even in Transylvania the salt is smuggled from the Old Romania. Maria Terezia limits the székelys free salt to 2000 weight. And this salt - in old times the Nation’s common fortune - became just a lost privileg for this people. According to székely baron and great writer Orbán Balázs, in 1861 the whole Székelyland and Szászland used the salt from Praid. The underground exploitation begins in 1762, under the leading of the Austrian engineer Frendl Aladár, so he opens the "József" mine. This mine had a bell-shape, and it was the first underground mine in Praid. The extracted salt was tied in buffalo leather bags and was pulled up to surface by four pair of horses with the so called "horse lift". About a systematic mining we can talk only after 1787, when the salt mine becomes property of the Vienna Treasury. From the bell shaped hall of József mine, they opened two side rooms, these arethe so called Károly and Ferdinánd mines, which also had pointed shape. Their depth is 66m, together with the shaft. In 1864 near the "József" mine it was opened the Parallel mine, that is one of the biggest artificial salt cavities from Romania. This mine was the first trapezoid shaped salt room, in its wall they engrave the annual deep level and also the names of the "mine giants" (the leader engineers). The St. Mihály’s cathedral from Cluj could be well placed in this huge trapezoid room. In this time, because the Parallel mine seemed to assure the production for a long time, after a higher order they stroke the opened up works. A new idea came in 1898: to open a reserve mine. In this year miners began the work in the researching gallery called "Erzsébet", situated in the north-eastern part of the salt hill. With this horizontal tunnel they cut through the salt mountain completely, and they opened some lateral branches. At 200m from the entrance it was opened a transversal room, the Erzsébet mine. In this time the annual salt quantity was exploited in five, five and half month and the miners could freely manage during the summer. The horse lift is replaced first with narrow track ways and than from the 70’s with motor lorries or trucks. After the first World War (1920), the Romanian state administration reorganised the medieval developed technique of the Transylvanian and Maramures Salt Mines. In 1945 they introduced the explosion technique for salt extraction, and the Hungarian salt mining with big tradition became history forever. Between 1947-1949 was opened the "Dózsa György" mine, which keeps in memory the famous székely leader of the peasant war from 1514. The horse lift was brought to the mining Museum from Bucharest in 1958, where this European industrial memorial gets ruined because of carelessness. The reduced identical sample is made by the sófalvi Kovács Mózes, and later Szekeres Lajos and Molnár Imre carve again the old lifting mechanism and the make of the trapezoid form salt room. In 1978 at 40m under the old mines, new mining levels were opened. In those levels the extraction rooms are 20m in width, 12m high and 100’s of m long. In 1991 began the opening of a new mining sector, the "Telegdy" mine, named after Telegdy Károly, one of the greatest personalities at the salt mine (the manager who saved the mine). The continuous mining activity begins here since 1994. At this sector is applied the Canadian method, with small room dimensions of 8m in high, 16m in width and quadric "pillars" with 14m x 14m size. Nowadays the deepest exploitation is done 320m in depth, considered from the surface. At Praid the speleo- and climatotherapic underground treatment began in 1960. In this time sick people were hosted by Dózsa György mine, and from the year 1980 it is was moved and organised at the level "50", that is 120 m in deep from the surface. There are 1250m from de entrance until the treatment level’s huge rooms. People are brought in there with buses. In summer season there are about 2500-3000 people (sick and visitor) came from all over the country. The treatment level is supplied with electricity, air-conditioning, wide playground, ecumenical chapel, billiard tables, seats and chairs, all these just make more comfortable the daily four hours compulsory down stay (for the ones who are under medical treatment). This time includes medical gymnastics, led by assistants, walks and gradual physical load. People who presents for treatment are between 2 and 60 years of age. They receive spiritual support from "Nepomuki Szent János" underground chapel, that was consecrated in 1993, and physical security is assured by a permanent medical supervising. The statue of "Nepomuki Szent János" was sculptured from salt in 1999 by the pensioner Szekeres Lajos. Also in this year was made the Millennium Cross in front of the underground chapel, which symbolise the 1000 year of Hungarian state existence. After dr. Fazekas Emese reports - specialist doctor in breathing problems - it has been found that at people who presented themselves 3 or 4 times and they react in a good way to the treatment, decrease the number of asthmatic crises intensity, they stop coughing and grow their resistance in the organism. At this moment the salt is exploiting at the inferior levels (+286m, + 266m, +246m, +230m) and from the Telegdy sector (level +448m). The board ("planseu") space between horizons is about 8m thickness. The transport of production is made by 16 tons trucks, with a crossing road to the Telegdy sector. This road has an inclination of 8 % and a length of 1250m until the most far point. The salt is transported from the mine to the preparation sector. Here the salt rocks are separated and transported directly to the wagons or they are kept in a concrete covered special arranged platform. Passing through the fix grill of band no.1, salt is coming back to band no. 3. The smashed salt is lifted with 2 elevators of H = 25m. After that it passes through 2 sieves with 2mm and 4mm eyes. Than the salt reaches in wagons or in the bags (sacks), or it is pressed in 5 kg salt bricks. The salt is weighed with a balance at band no. 2. The package of salt is made in 50kg sewed bags. The salt from Praid since the XV. century was called the "székely só" = "székely salt" , that gave the name of the Transylvanian unit region, the "salt region". Through centuries this salt assured "bread" to local people, and not at last, offered the taste and "the soul" of Transylvanian foods. And You, who are reading with interest about the Salt Mine from Parajd, should know the last lines of an ancient miner’s pray (1864): "We bag You Lord, who are kept us in healthy power and safety on the surface of the earth, to be governed by Your paternal arms in depth too. Help us Lord, because we don’t place trust in our forces, but move from here only in Your Holy name. Amen." Horváth István (translated by Incze Ildikó)