We move back in time more than 200 years. The years 1809-13 were special in the history of Wieliczka and the salt mines. At the time, they were jointly owned by the Austrian Empire and the Duchy of Warsaw.
When Napoleon defeated the Austrians in 1809, he forced them to agree that Wieliczka and the mine belonged simultaneously to the Austrian Empire and the Duchy of Warsaw. This meant, among other things, double staffing of officials and division of profits.
It is from that period that the nearby building known as Turowka comes from. The Austrians knew that salt could also be extracted from the brine, which had been poured until then. They authorized the construction of a brewhouse, which was built on the site of a former manor called “Tur” – hence the name of the facility. Coal from the Jaworzno mine, which was located in the Duchy, was to be used for production. The Austrians gave the technology, and the Poles gave the coal. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Leipzig, the Austrians recaptured the mine and the town. The brewery never produced salt – there was no longer access to cheap fuel. The equipment of the finished plant (including the brewing pan) was soon sold. Today the building serves as a hotel.