Update October 17, 2026
Praid Salt Mine remains closed to visitors. In late May 2025, water from the Corund stream entered the mine uncontrollably, and on May 29 the salt mine was completely flooded. Salrom, which manages the salt mine, has not announced a reopening date.
The local state of alert, declared on May 8, 2025, has been extended month after month. The latest extension is valid from October 7 to November 5, 2026, and public access to the affected area and the Salt Canyon remains prohibited.
On February 19, 2026, the Government approved an investment of over 332 million lei to protect the area, with a 30-month construction period: a dam on the Corund at Ocna de Jos and the diversion of the stream onto a new course that bypasses the salt mine.
In Praid, the Praid Wellness Center, separate from the salt mine, remains open (closed for maintenance work from November 9 to 20, 2026).
Update May 28, 2025
The situation at Praid Salt Mine has deteriorated considerably. Harghita Prefect Petres Sándor announced on May 27 that the fight against nature had been lost: the flow of the Corund stream was more than 100 times higher than normal, something not seen in the last 30 years, and the flood seriously damaged the recently completed protection works. Source: Agerpres
On May 21, the Praid Local Committee for Emergency Situations extended the local state of alert by another 15 days, until June 6. On-site interventions have been under way nonstop for three weeks.
Water is once again entering the salt mine at a rate that currently cannot be managed, and the mine may flood.
According to the prefect, specialists estimated at the time that the risk of collapse due to the dissolution of the salt was not imminent, as it would be a process lasting months or even years, not hours or days.
Once the waters recede, the situation will be reassessed and work on the streambed will resume, with a view to a larger investment. Salrom will carry out an assessment of the mine's internal structure.
Update May 9, 2025
The closure of Praid Salt Mine, announced on May 6 for “technical reasons,” is the result of problems caused by massive water infiltration.
According to ISU Harghita, the heavy rainfall around May 5 raised the level of the Corund stream, which seeped into the salt mine's mining area. Since then, Harghita's firefighters, supported by crews from Mureș, Covasna, Neamț and Brașov counties, have been working nonstop.
Currently, eight high-capacity motor pumps are being used to pump out the water and lower the level of the stream upstream of the affected area. More than 40 firefighters and three excavators are working to bring the situation under control and seal the breaches (suffosion holes) that have appeared.
As a preventive measure, the Praid Local Committee for Emergency Situations declared a local state of alert for a period of 15 days, from May 8 to 22, 2025. The complex intervention will continue until the risks are eliminated and the site and the community are protected.
Update May 6, 2025
On May 6, the management of Praid Salt Mine made an important announcement about the site's operation. According to the press release, the salt mine is temporarily closed for technical reasons. The date when visitor access will resume will be announced later.
Update June 2024
Praid Salt Mine reopened on June 15, 2024, after a month-long closure caused by infiltration from the Corund stream. Irina Muller, production director of SALROM, said urgent work had been carried out to ensure the safety of tourist and production activities.
The announcement was made on the Facebook page, which also lists the opening hours, 08:00 to 18:00, with the last bus entry at 16:30.
As a reminder, Praid Salt Mine is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Romania.
Original article (May 16, 2024)
Praid Salt Mine is temporarily closed, the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism announced yesterday, May 15.
Because of underground infiltration caused by heavy rain, both salt extraction and tourist activity have been suspended.
Specialists from the National Salt Company are working to fix the situation and reopen the salt mine. As a reminder, Praid Salt Mine is among the area's tourist attractions, with approximately 570,000 visitors in 2023.
