Drohobych Salt Works, Drohobych

Drohobych Salt Production Plant (State Enterprise "Drohobych Salt Production Plant", Drohobych salt works, Drohobych salt mine) is the oldest currently operating salt production plant in Ukraine and one of the oldest enterprises in Eastern Europe. This state enterprise primarily engages in salt extraction. Additionally, it extracts other minerals and develops quarries. It operates at the address: 82100, Lviv region, Drohobych city, Solonyi Stavok street, 27.

In the times of Kyivan Rus (10th-13th centuries), the fame of Drohobych salt spread across Ukrainian lands. The Drohobych salt works was the largest in the Peremyshl region. Furthermore, the salt works is the oldest in Ukraine. Production is carried out using the same method as before, namely by boiling brine.

The first mention of salt from Drohobych dates back to 1390, when Władysław Opolczyk gifted the Galician archbishopric a tithe of salt from Drohobych. It is commonly stated that the salt works (salt mine) has been continuously operating since 1250. This date has no historical basis. The Drohobych salt works is located near brine deposits or raw materials. For many centuries, salt production was the main industry in Drohobych. This is reflected in the city’s coat of arms: on a blue background, there are 9 salt piles (the shape into which salt was pressed).

In the last decades of the existence of the Galician-Volhynian state, Drohobych became one of the wealthiest cities. Salt from Drohobych attracted traders from various parts of Ukraine - from Podillia, distant Bratslavshchyna, Holmszczyzna, and Volhynia. At the Volhynian docks on the Sluch and Horyn rivers, Drohobych salt was loaded onto river vessels - blocks and transported to Pripyat, and further down the Dnieper to Kyiv. Some towers in Drohobych, Yasenytsia, and other surrounding villages belonged to the king. Peasants, subjects of the monarch, were forced to work on them, who rented the salt mine to wealthy Italian merchants, mainly Genoese, who traveled with merchant caravans from Italy through Lviv and Bukovina to the Crimean city of Kaffa.

Throughout the 14th-15th centuries, they were almost continuously the managers and main workers of the salt mine (the old name for the salt works) in Drohobych - skillfully pleasing the kings and not forgetting their own profit. The Italians produced high-quality salt. They significantly expanded Drohobych's trade connections with Europe. However, acting monopolistically and profiting from exploitation, they often caused conflicts in the city. In 1491, a conflict between the Italians and the Drohobychans and visiting merchants was resolved by royal decree. It was stipulated that for loading salt, carts should be made 14 spans long, 17 salt piles wide at the bottom and 20 at the top, and 20 piles high, stacked one on top of the other. A cart of this design could hold 6000 piles of salt. Soon, in order to maintain the streets in good condition, the Drohobychans were granted the right to collect 3 dinars from a cart passing through the city with salt or goods. There is evidence that the Zupna street, which connected the city with the salt works via a bridge, had a wooden pavement, probably to avoid mud.

From a description in 1768, we know that Zupna street (which still exists today) had a wooden flooring. It was connected to the salt works by a bridge built over a rather deep stream called Pobuk at that time. At the time of the mentioned description, there were two wells operating at the Drohobych salt works: the Royal (shaft No. 1) and the one with renewed privacy - Baron Gartenberg's (shaft No. 2). Salt extraction was allowed at both for the benefit of the so-called "hospital for the poor" - a small hospital near the church. In 1565, 26 thousand barrels of salt were produced in Drohobych, including about half at private salt works, and the rest at the royal salt mine.

Currently, the plant produces two types of products: "Iodized kitchen salt" and "Unadulterated kitchen salt", which have "Certificate of compliance with the State certification system UKRSERT" registered in the Register under No. 11A 1.021.H003763-07. The salt meets the requirements of DSTU 3583-97 (GOST 13830-97) "Kitchen salt. General technical conditions".

In 1339, Drohobych was captured by the Poles, and salt from the surrounding enterprises became the property of the king. A mention of Drohobych salt can also be found in the charter of King Władysław II regarding the supply of four carts of Drohobych salt to the Lviv chapter dated December 8, 1432.

Salt production in the vicinity of Drohobych ensured the city's development. Archival data indicate that in 1565 there were 45 salt production facilities - royal, monastic, and private. Thanks to the salt works, Drohobych developed and expanded. A popular city story surrounds the appearance of the Church of St. George next to the salt works. It is said that the salt workers literally exchanged it for salt in 1656 in the Carpathian village of Nadiiv, which is near Dolyna, transported it in disassembled form by carts, and reassembled it - already at the current location. However, another version states that only part of the beams was brought, and the existing church at this site was expanded.

In 1772, after the first partition of Poland, Eastern Galicia became part of the Austrian Empire. In addition to the salt industry, the oil refining industry began to gain momentum. Salt extracted at the Drohobych plant was exported to many European countries. However, the salt works reached its peak during Austrian rule.

Unfortunately, currently, the Drohobych salt works does not look very presentable; the territory of the salt works is large and spacious, but neglected. The buildings made of red brick or wood were built without a single nail… One can only imagine how it all looked 100 years ago. Now life only flickers in a few rooms - in the brine settling tanks, the building with the shaft, and also where salt is evaporated and packaged.

However, one can visit a tour where tourists will be shown the salt mine and demonstrate how salt is extracted. By the way, this process has hardly changed in several centuries. Production here consists of several main stages: pumping brine from the mine >> "gravitational" cleaning in settling tanks >> evaporation of salt in baths >> grinding >> packaging. Brine is extracted from a depth of 50 meters, after which it is pumped into a special reservoir. Then the salt is evaporated, crushed, and sent for packaging. In the future, a museum is planned to be created based on the ancient workshops.

Once, brine was pulled by oxen and horses, and then a pump was installed - the same as used in oil extraction. Now brine is drawn by an electric pump. The well - shaft - is 50 meters deep, with steps inside to allow descent, and the walls are lined with oak timber, preserved since 1473. The next stage is "gravitational" cleaning in settling tanks. Brine from the mine enters here through pipes. The settling tank buildings are constructed without a single nail and literally salted to the foundation over the years.

The evaporation of the brine extracted here occurs "as it used to" - firewood is burned under wide and shallow baths with brine, the brine evaporates, and salt settles at the bottom of the baths and collects in crystalline skins on the surface. It is collected with "rakes", packed in bags, and sent for drying. Everything around in the room is covered with salt "stalactites", the air smells of fire and, of course, salt. The people who work here joke that they are thoroughly salted, have constant salt inhalations, and really almost never get sick.

However, the true treasure of the salt works is the salt flakes that are collected from the surface of the evaporating brine, this is the "Carpathian fleur de sal". This salt is special - very delicate in taste, has a delicate flaky texture, and is highly valued in gastronomy. A petal of such salt can be not only a seasoning but also a decoration.

The Drohobych salt works is located near the city center on Uzhhorod Lane. You can reach the salt works from the ancient Church of St. George or from the side of Solonyi Stavok street. The Church of St. George, like many things in Drohobych, appeared thanks to the salt workers. They exchanged it for their products in 1656. It was transported in disassembled form by oxen from the Carpathian village of Nadiiv and reassembled.

The salt works currently produces an average of 500 kg per day. In a month, this amounts to about 11 tons. The plant has modernized its equipment, but lacks funds to complete this idea. If successful, production could be increased at least twice, believes the plant director. On its territory, there are 9 cultural heritage sites of local significance. The enterprise is located within the protective zone of a UNESCO heritage site. A part of the plant's territory has the status of a newly discovered archaeological site.

The townspeople consider the Drohobych salt works to be the pearl of the city! It is on the map of the oldest continuously operating enterprises in the world, as it has been continuously operating since 1250. The salt works is the origin of Drohobych as a city, and the coat of arms depicts 9 piles of salt. One part of its territory is located within the buffer zone of the UNESCO heritage site - the Church of St. George, and the other - within the protective zone of the state heritage site - the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. The entire territory of the Salt Works, which is 5.8 hectares, is a site of local significance, and the northern part of the salt works (3 hectares) has the status of a newly discovered archaeological site.

In the summer of 2018, a revitalization concept (restoration) of the salt works was developed with the participation of city residents and representatives of public organizations. Based on it, students from Lviv Polytechnic created an architectural project for revitalization. The Drohobychans, through public consultation, chose the city’s tourist slogan: "Drohobych - it has all the salt". This once again emphasized the importance of preserving the city’s historical heritage. Salt is a symbol of Drohobych. This is evidenced even by the city coat of arms, which depicts nine piles of salt. Local salt piles are one of the most popular souvenirs in Drohobych.

At the same time, local salt is actively used by Drohobych inns. Some of them promote the salt brand as a symbol of the city. For example, in a cafe called "Kavun", visitors are offered salty cake and salty coffee, as well as Ivan Franko's favorite dish according to the recipe of his daughter-in-law Olha Franko - paprikash. This is potatoes stewed with chicken and mushrooms, under brynza. In another establishment "Lokal na Panskij", they serve coffee according to the recipe of St. Drogo, who is considered the patron of coffee and cafes. And although salt production in Drohobych has declined, the Drohobychans remember and take pride in their "white gold". This gives hope that they will succeed.

On February 22, 2021, the Drohobych salt works reopened its doors to visitors - to all those who wish to learn more about this unique enterprise and the unchanged salt production technologies that have been in operation in Drohobych for hundreds of years. The tour of the salt works attracted attention not only from Drohobychans but also from visitors from Lviv, Stryi, Truskavets, Sambir, and Stebnyk.

Today, the salt works is on the brink of significant changes. Recently, the management of the salt works changed, and the enterprise received a new leader - Drohobychan Oleg Petrenko. Therefore, changes at this enterprise will occur, as there is a strong desire to improve the situation at the salt works and a team that is already working on this. In the future, this will be a successful enterprise and a powerful tourist location in Drohobych and Lviv region. According to geologists, the brine reserves here are inexhaustible and can serve for millennia.

Regarding the potential to increase the number of tourists, one can speak considering the number of tourists visiting the nearby Church of St. George (20,000 tourists per year). The prospects for tourist and cultural development of the salt works area can also be discussed by looking at the examples of similar enterprises in other European cities. For example, at the already non-operational Lion Saltworks (England), 68 events were held in 2019 (from small lectures to large festivals), at the partially operational salt works in Halle (Germany), 38 events were held in 2019, and at the operational salt works Saline Lusenhall (Germany), one can visit to see the production process at any time, by pre-registering a tour group. It is worth mentioning separately the salt mines in Wieliczka (Poland), which are a UNESCO heritage site and were visited by 1.5 million tourists in 2016. All these examples indicate tourists' interest in industrial heritage sites and the significant tourist potential of the Drohobych salt works, provided that the territory is minimally equipped.