Cacica Salt Mine, a public forum monument of national importance, located in the village of Cacica, 37 km away from Suceava, eloquently reflects the multicultural tradition of Bukovina.
The name of the village derives from the Polish word kaczka (duck). In 1788, the Austrian imperial authorities brought about 20 Polish families from the Wieliczka (near Krakow) and Bochnia salt mines, and four families of Ukrainians from Svirsk (today Svirskivtsi, Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine), specializing in mining and deforestation.
Currently, the majority of the population of this village is made up of Romanians (about 74%). However, there are also significant Polish and Ukrainian communities (about 20% and 5% of the total population, respectively).
The salt mine was put into operation in 1791, entering into the official tourist circuit of Bukovina in the second half of the 19th century.
The access to the tourist objectives from the salt mine is made by descending on some steps of a mineralized fir tree with brine penetrated in wood, over 200 years old.
Tourist objectives: Salt Museum (with various period artefacts – in the administration building); Roman Catholic chapel of St. Varvara / Barbara (in the salt mine, 21 m deep); the orthodox chapel (in the salt mine, at a depth of 35 m); Salt Lake (at a depth of 35 m); Dance Hall (depth 35 m).
The Chapel of “St. Varvara / Barbara”, with its pulpit, cross and altar carved in salt, was arranged in 1803 and consecrated in 1904 by the Archbishop of Lemberg (Ukrainian Lviv), Józef Bilczewski. Every year, on the 4th of December, a common liturgy is celebrated by the Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic and Orthodox priests from the locality, in honour of the patron saint of miners.
The Salt Lake, dug by hand by miners, is unique in Romania.
