BOCHNIA, the chief town of a district in Austrian Galicia, on the River Raba or Uswica, a tributary of the Vistula. It is built principally of wood, and has a gymnasium, a hospital, and various public offices. Its importance is mainly due to its extensive salt mines, entrance to which is obtained by a shaft in the very heart of the town. The excavations, carried on at different levels, have completely undermined the whole area of the place, which was greatly damaged by a subsidence of the ground in 1843, occasioned by heavy floods. About 290,000 cwts. of salt are obtained annually. Population in 1869, 7180.