Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the way to Crimea, while a huge deposit lay almost on their doorstep.
Soledar salt
mine
( 0627-442 573, 050 608 9070;
http://artyomsalt.dn.ua
; vul Oktyabrskaya 2B; excursion
100uah; tours 11am, 1pm & 3pm Tue-Sun)
is the gateway to it.
Three hundred metres below the surface, there is salt everywhere - you are ac-
tually encouraged to lick the walls, as guides are adamant no bacteria survive at
this depth. Licking the mine's protector gnome brings you luck, they will surely
add. The atmosphere in the mine is ideal for people suffering from asthma, which
is why there is a sanatorium inside the mine, where people stay for days.
There are a few more salt statues in the wide, high-ceilinged galleries. You are un-
likely to feel claustrophobic at the end of the tour when they bring you into a giant
hall decorated with a Christmas tree - so that guests can have a New Year party
here at any time of the year. There is also a football pitch where you can practise
your strikes while listening to Bach and Chopin records. The acoustics are stun-
ning. While here, some visitors choose to walk (or play football) barefoot - it is a
strange and rather pleasant sensation and they say it's good for your health, too.
It is advisable to book tours (100uah) by phone in advance. No English is spoken,
so ask your hotel reception to assist you. The mine can be reached by marshrutka
(fixed-route minibus; 2.5uah) from Artemivsk bus station, 13km away. A taxi will
cost around 100uah. The same marshrutkacontinues to Sil train station, which
you will need if you are heading to Sviatohirsk.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sviatohirsk
06262
Built into a dazzlingly white chalk cliff above the dreamy Siversky Donets River, the
Sviatohirsk (Svyatogorsk in Russian) cave monastery is a heavenly sight, complemented
rather than spoilt by the gigantic statue of the Bolshevik hero Artyom, which tops an ad-
jacent hill. All that contrasts sharply with the hellish sprawl of
pansionaty
(Soviet-style
workers' resorts) and tacky outdoor cafes on the other bank of the river. The reason is
that apart from being the holiest Orthodox site in Eastern Ukraine, Sviatohirsk is also the
main recreational zone for the Donbass region. Vacationing miners find time for the spir-
itual and for the mundane, putting candles in the monastery by day and washing down
their
shashlyk
with beer and vodka by night.
Sights & Activities
