Združenje zgodovinskih mest Slovenije

Idrija

Lace and mercury

Mercury under the Earth’s surface, lace from the lacemakers’ pads, žlikrofi (ravioli) from local kitchens – Idrija is a city of exceptional cultural heritage. The oldest mining town in Slovenia is famed for having the second biggest mercury mine in the world, and centuries ago it lured explorers and travellers from all over Europe and left on the town unique monuments to the technological heritage tied to the water resources and other special features of the area.

MARKED BY MINING

You can get better acquainted with this town of mercury, which tells its story in the museum at the castle of Gewerkenegg, the former administrative building of the Idrija mine from the 16th century, this town of lace, where lacemaking skills are cultivated in the Lacemaking School, by visiting its special features:

Divje jezero (Wild Lake) – the first Slovenian museum in nature, with the shortest Slovenian surface river and exceptional flora and fauna in the surroundings;

kamšt – the pit water pump with its largest preserved wooden drive wheel in Europe;

klavže – special watercourse barriers for floating timber, also called the Slovenian pyramids;

the Frančiška shaft – the oldest preserved structure of the Idrija mine, opened up back in 1792, with its exhibition of mining machines and equipment;

Antonijev rov – a pit gallery arranged for visitors in the oldest part of the mine, with an entrance excavation dating back to 1500; Church of the Holy Trinity – originally a wooden chapel on the site of the legendary first extraction of mercury, it has been authentically restored;

miner’s house – this residential building from the 18th century is an example of the dwellings typical of the Idrija mining community.

VIEWS THROUGH THE CENTURIES

Discover the 500 years of mining and lacemaking history and the precious millennia of nature.Visit:

Idrija Municipal Museum – Gewerkenegg Castle houses a permanent exhibition on the 500-year history of mercury mining and the town, a geological collection with several thousand specimens of rock, fossils, ores and minerals and a collection of Idrija lacemaking;

The International Centre of Idrija Lace – the ground floor of the Lacemaking School features an exhibition of lace and a documentary film on the history of lacemaking in Idrija.

Check out the town in other ways, too! Visit,taste and experience:

Idrija žlikrofi (ravioli) – at various catering establishments in Idrija;

M Aquarium – the newest public aquarium in Slovenia, with an amazing diversity of life; the War Museum – for everyone interested in the history of war in the previous century.

GREEN: ALPINE TOWN OF 2011

Idrija holds the honorary title of Alpine town of 2011, whereby it is committed to sustainable development and the harmonious coexistence f the technical and cultural heritage with the natural environment. The Zgornja Idrijca Nature Park is part of the European etwork Natura 2000; the Scopoli Memorial Garden in the park draws attention to the centuries of prized botanical features in this area.

PAIL OF QUICKSILVER

In Idrija you will hear the tale of the pail-maker who dunked his pails in the water, but then could not lift them out. Indeed they had supposedly filled up with such a density of the liquid metal that even a piece of iron was floating in it like a cork. He gathered up the mercury, which then lured increasing numbers of people to the otherwise empty basin in the land. In the place where the pail-maker caught his mercury stands the Church of the Holy Trinity.

TIC Idrija
Vodnikova 3, SI-5280 Idrija
T: +386 (0)5 374 39 16
F: +386 (0)5 374 39 15
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www.idrija-turizem.si