Maybe it is the unique microclimate of the salt mine that does it in, or maybe it is the patron saint of the place - St Barbara - but there is no room for boredom in Kaczyce in Bukovina. Numerous salt attractions await those who wish to visit, and those who are looking for polonics in Romania can still enjoy new discoveries.

Kaczyka a Polish duck
Kaczyka (Cacica) is a village (with a population of just over 1,000 in 2011) in Romania located in Bukovina. It has been known for centuries for its rich salt deposits. Initially, its extraction was carried out by miners from Austria or Germany, but from 1792 it was our compatriots, brought mainly from Bochnia and Wieliczka, who gained an almost monopoly on this type of work. Suffice it to say that according to the pre-war census, as many as 600 Poles, 300 Germans and a few Ukrainians, Romanians and Hungarians lived in Kaczyca. The pre-war Polish community lived in many areas of Romania. Even today, a representative of the Polish minority sits in the Romanian parliament.

However, returning to the first Polish settlers, the overwhelming majority were mining families. From the Middle Ages, rock salt mining was part of the monarchical monopoly (the so-called salt regales). It is therefore not surprising that over the centuries Polish havers, or diggers, gained not only valuable experience, but also recognition in Europe. It is also said that the name of the village Cacica was borrowed from Polish legends, according to which there was supposed to be a lake inhabited by ducks on the site of today's mine.

Polish sites in Kaczyce
The newcomers from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, especially from Galicia, found employment in the service of the salt mine - they supplied it with wood and the miners with food, were responsible for the judiciary (they were subordinate to the Salt Directorate in Lvov) or education, as a local school was soon established. Education was provided in as many as four languages - German, Romanian, Ukrainian and Polish.

There was also a church, founded and maintained by the mine. The first church, which no longer exists, was built in 1810. It was then that Father Jakub Bogdanowicz brought a copy of the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa from a post-Jesuit temple in Stanislawow, whose cult has survived here to this day. The next church was designed in 1904 by Teodor Talowski, a renowned architect from the Lviv Polytechnic, who based his original concept on the Bochnia basilica. On the same day that the basilica was consecrated, the salt chapel of St. Barbara was also dedicated to the faithful.

Saint Barbara of Nicomedia - patron saint of the chapel in Kačíce
. To get to the extraordinary St Barbara's salt chapel, or - one could jokingly say - the salt polonica, you have to descend 192 steps leading 21 metres down. After manually (!) extracting the salt, a not inconsiderable grotto was created here. Its approximate dimensions are: 25 m long, 9 m wide and 7 m high. In this space, in addition to the altar and the place for the worshippers, there was also a carved choir stand. Both the altar and the pulpit are made of salt. The walls are decorated with paintings and the whole is illuminated by magnificent crystal chandeliers. Initially, the interior of the chapel was lined with wood, but after a few years the cladding was removed. Interestingly, the wood in the mine is preserved with oil and hence the characteristic smell that still accompanies visitors.

The place of honour in the shrine is occupied by an icon with the image of St Varvara, as the local Poles pronounce it. The chapel's patron saint was chosen not by chance. Saint Barbara of Nicomedia, a martyr for the faith from the 3rd century, is the protector not only of coal miners, but also of all other difficult, dangerous professions, including salt miners. This saint, before her exceptionally cruel death, in her last words addressed God as the lord of nature, the one who 'created the earth and closed the abysses'. There is even a special prayer in the miners' tradition: 'O, Saint Barbara, have mercy on me so that I do not stay under this dark earth. My wife would weep, my children would weep, that they would not see their father again."

As in Poland, a celebration in honour of St Barbara is held in Kaczyca on 4 December. These services are held in a truly ecumenical spirit and are concelebrated by both Catholic and Orthodox or Greek Catholic clergy.

Mine or Romanian Salt City
St Barbara's Chapel is not the only attraction to be seen in the Kačica mine. Historic salt mining centres, such as the most famous Wieliczka, are a worldwide phenomenon, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a great tourist attraction. Kačica too, although not as big and popular, can still amaze many.

The Poles, having left their homes hundreds of kilometres away, decided to give a distinctive touch to both above and below ground. And so a white settlement sprang up above the deposits, with a salt ballroom, a playground and an Orthodox chapel, so that the Eastern-rite faithful too could have their own place of worship.

Although Kačíka itself has a climate that differs from the rest of Bukovina and is friendly thanks to its location in the valley, this is multiplied below ground. The constant temperature here is around 10°C and the humidification reaches around 76%. Scientists further suspect that the salty waters beneath the deposits may also have health-promoting properties. Does all this affect the state of preservation of the salt monuments? It seems so, and there is no shortage of people willing to explore; the brave can even play mine football. One of the attractions is also the salt lake, which used to be navigated by raft.

Polonia in Kaczyce on Bukowina
The history of the Polish community in Kaczyce is not only the history of the mine, but also the whole, beautiful ethos of the struggle for national identity. From the very beginning, the Poles, who made up the majority of Kačíce's population, faced various obstacles from the successive rulers of the area. First, the Austrian authorities wanted to demolish the first church, whose furnishings had been preserved by Father Kasper Slominski (whose tombstone has recently been found and restored). Then - under the communist Ceausescu dictatorship - they were forced to hand over the Polish House, built through the efforts of the entire Polish community of the local parish, in order to avoid confiscation.

However, the worst is over and Kačica in Bukovina invariably welcomes visitors with open arms. Every year, meetings and exhibitions are held here to commemorate the fascinating fate of this place and the people who created it. In the Gospel according to St Matthew, significant words are spoken: "You are salt for the earth..." and this is how the Poles of Kačica could be described.