Wellness and Treatment Center at Cacica Salt Mine

Authors’ Comment

The wellness and treatment center draws its identity from the site’s unique context: the historical significance of the Cacica Salt Mine, its natural saline waters, and the surrounding rural cultural landscape. The project celebrates these qualities, bridging local heritage with the regional tourism network. Occupying the footprint of former salt-processing facilities, the main building—a linear, narrow volume—establishes a visual axis between the site’s two key landmarks: the salt mine and the Roman Catholic Basilica, while framing a central public courtyard.
The main structure is articulated into three functional zones: the first accommodates a restaurant and conference facilities; the second houses a physiotherapy center, sports rooms, and changing areas; and the third is dedicated to the spa, complete with pools and thermal baths. Set toward the rear of the site, thirteen accommodation cabins provide necessary privacy for guests. Meanwhile, four existing structures are adaptively reused into a Polish Cultural Center, administrative offices, a café, and a Salt Museum situated within the former extraction shaft.
Ultimately, the complex unfolds as a retreat for healing and reconnection, where wellness, leisure, and culture converge through an architecture deeply attuned to its sense of place. The intervention transforms a forgotten site into a meaningful destination, paving the way for the rediscovery of a profound local history.