underground – Museum of the Weird

The building, standing alone in Transylvania, looks unassuming. It’s a little artsy building which could be a museum or a gallery. Indeed, there is art inside. Then, you step into the elevator and descend into an amazing site, an underground amusement park.

This is Salina Turda, a medieval salt mine that was in operation as early as 1075. It ceased mining operations in 1932.

In 1992, people began using the mine as halotherapy center, attracting tourists. The salt atmosphere is considered healthful and the air in the mine may be some of the purest on the planet due to the many layers of natural filtration.

Beginning in 2008, the Romanians undertook a massive renovation project, transforming Salina Turda into a wonderland. The park features table games, boats to paddle around an underground lake, a Ferris wheel, an amphitheater, and more, engulfed in the surreal, subterranean atmosphere of the gigantic caverns. It’s not exactly Six Flags. It’s not built for thrills, but I can’t imagine anyone coming down here without getting goosebumps.

This video shows the architecture and many of the sites. There is a wonderful gallery of photos on their web site and any image search will turn up beautiful, haunting pictures.

Here are additional photos:

Funny ghost poster. — Poster in the London Underground takes a no-nonsense view of ghosts. Screen readers refer to this text.

I admit, I’m fond of the British. They generally have an admirable calm and dignity that is worth imitating. Submitted for your perusal is this poster, found in a London Underground, addressing the presence of spirits. It’s obviously a joke—and a good one—but reports of ghosts in the tube system are commonplace.

This Daily Star article describes encounters with “a girl with ‘coal-black pits for eye sockets’” that first emerged in the 1980s, and is still making appearances. Other regular encounters include the mad ghost of Sarah Whitehead, also known as the Black Nun, who haunts the Bank Station.

Of course, London is not the only place with haunted trains. According to this Silicon India News article there are ghosts spotted in stations all over the world. Here are a few doozies:

Caobao Road Subway Station in Shanghai, China, has frequent break downs that seem to get better once the trains are free of the station. One story suggests that a man was dragged onto the tracks by a spirit!
Panteones Metro Station in Mexico City—the name literally means “Graveyards”— was built near two old cemeteries. Workers hear mysterious knocks on the walls and have seen indistinct, shadowy shapes moving around. Screams are sometimes heard along the tracks.
Guards at Waterfront Station in Canada have seen a number of bizarre reflections of past passengers. One saw a 1920’s flapper complete with music from the era that vanished as approached.
Connolly Station in Ireland was badly damaged during a 1941 bombing attack. A soldier in grey has been seen roaming the platform and a guard watching the security camera saw two figures in military gear who disappeared when he investigated.

Why do ghosts return to these subways? Do they think of them as special places? They are certainly places where people have spent a lot of time. When I die I hope I don’t find myself trapped in someplace that was part of my day-to-day, mundane world. Imagine spending the afterlife sitting at that red light, or trapped behind a keyboard?

We’re interested in your weird travel encounters. We’ll share the interesting ones here.

Tag: underground

Underground wonder park

Tickets please