The historic salt mine in Bochnia, southern Poland, wants to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List alongside the more famous Wieliczka salt mine, which was included on the list in 1978.

Managers of the two mines have addressed a joint motion to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, which is to pass it over to UNESCO. The mines have proposed to name the site The Royal Salt Mines of Wieliczka and Bochnia.

Founded in 1248, the Bochnia Mine remained operational till 1990. Its management hopes that a UNESCO-listed status would be a great promotional boost for the mine.

Wieliczka, where salt started to be extracted forty years later, attracts around one million tourists a year, almost half of whom come from abroad. The nearby Bochnia is visited by only 150, 000 tourists annually, a small fraction of them coming from abroad. The mine has a 2.5 kilometre tourist route running at the depth of 290 metres. (mk/mmj)