# Rock salt discovered at Bochnia (1248)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1248-rock-salt-discovered-at-bochnia
Location: Bochnia

Rock salt deposits were found at Bochnia, and soon also at Wieliczka, founding a salt-mining industry that enriched the Polish crown for centuries. Within the broader Fragmentation period: After 1138 Poland split into duchies ruled by rival Piast princes. Mongol invasions, German settlement, the growth of towns and the arrival of the Teutonic Knights reshaped the land before it was reunited. At this point in the timeline (1248), the governing authority was Bolesław V the Chaste (High Duke of Poland). His long reign saw Mongol raids, the canonisation of St Stanislaus and the chartering of Kraków under Magdeburg law. Rock salt discovered at Bochnia mattered because economic change affected the wealth, society and power of the Polish lands. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Rock salt discovered at Bochnia mattered because economic change affected the wealth, society and power of the Polish lands.

Ruler at the time: [Bolesław V the Chaste](https://poland-history.com/rulers/boleslaw-v-the-chaste)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Bochnia Salt Mine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bochnia_Salt_Mine)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Rock salt discovered at Bochnia](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Rock+salt+discovered+at+Bochnia)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland during the Piast dynasty (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_the_Piast_dynasty#Fragmentation_of_the_realm_(1138%E2%80%931320))