The Soledar Salt Mines are located in the city/suburb of Soledar in the Bakhmut municipality in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The scale of the mines is vast. The mines have 125 miles of tunnel,are at a depth of 288m,and many of the chambers are 30 meters in height,The largest resembles a hangar of about 100 meters long and 40 meters width and 40 m height.The salt deposits at Soledar are of Permian origin, some 250 millions years old. They were created by the evaporation of sea water in in a shallow basin with temporary connection to the sea under arid climate. The salt is said to be the purest salt deposit in the world and the biggest one in Europe.The salt, located close to the surface, was dissolved by the ground water which created numerous brine springs. When the underground salt was discovered, the mining took place some 300m below the surface. It has recently become a tourist mine, as it shows ornate passageways. Numerous sculptures and reliefs in the walls have been carved out or the massive salt. There is even an underground church for the miners. There is a cafe, a huge soccer arena, and one of the halls is regularly used for underground concerts.
