Idrija (, in older sources ''Zgornja Idrija''; german: (Ober)idria, it, Idria) is a town in western

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

. It is the seat of the Municipality of Idrija. It is located in the traditional region of

Inner Carniola Inner Carniola ( sl, Notranjska; german: Innerkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the ...

and is in the

Gorizia Statistical Region The Gorizia Statistical Region ( sl, Goriška statistična regija) is a statistical region in western Slovenia, along the border with Italy. It is named after the Italian town of Gorizia (the feminine adjective ''goriška'' comes from the Slov ...

. It is notable for its mercury mine with stores and infrastructure, as well as miners' living quarters, and a miners' theatre. Together with the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

mine at

Almadén Almadén () is a town and municipality in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 3 ...

, it has been a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 2012.Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> In 2011, Idrija was given the

Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...

award.

Geography

The town of Idrija lies in the Idrija Basin, surrounded by the Idrija Hills. It is traversed by the Idrijca River, which is joined there by Nikova Creek. It includes the hamlets of Brusovše, Cegovnica, Prenjuta, and Žabja Vas close to the town center, as well as the more outlying hamlets of Češnjice, Ljubevč, Kovačev Rovt, Marof, Mokraška Vas, Podroteja, Razpotje, Staje, and Zahoda. The Marof hydroelectric plant is located on the Idrijca River on the northern outskirts of Idrija, between Marof and Mokraška Vas. Springs in the area include Podroteja Spring and Wild Lake on the Idrijca River south of the town.

History

Mercury was discovered in Idrija (known as ''Idria'' under Austrian rule) in the late 15th century (various sources cite 1490,Arko, Mihael. 1931. ''Zgodovina Idrije: po raznih arhivalnih in drugih virih.'' Ljubljana: Katoliška knjigarna, p. 1.Kmecl, Matjaž. 1981. ''Treasures of Slovenia.'' Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, p. 262. 1492, and 1497). To support the mining activities, Gewerkenegg Castle was constructed between 1522 and 1533 by the mine owners. Mining operations were taken over by the government in 1580. The mineral idrialite, discovered here in 1832, is named after the town.

Legend

According to legend, a bucket maker working in a local spring spotted a small amount of liquid mercury over 500 years ago. Idrija is one of the few places in the world where mercury occurs in both its elemental liquid state and as

cinnabar Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the bri ...

(mercury sulfide) ore. The subterranean shaft mine entrance known as Anthony's Shaft (''Antonijev rov'') is used today for tours of the upper levels, complete with life-sized depictions of workers over the ages. The lower levels, which extend to almost 400 meters below the surface and are no longer being actively mined, are currently being cleaned up.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the town is dedicated to

Saint Joseph the Worker Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

and belongs to the Diocese of Koper. There are three other churches in Idrija, dedicated to the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bo ...

, and

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

.Koper Diocese list of churches

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Idrija include: * Aleš Bebler (1907–1981), Slovene Communist leader, resistance fighter, and diplomat * Jožef Blasnik (1800–1872), printer, publisher * Stanko Bloudek (1890–1959), designer *

Borut Božič Borut Božič (born 8 August 1980) is a Slovenian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2018 for the , , , , , and teams. Considered a sprinter in the mold of Óscar Freire, Božič's career highlights ...

(born 1980), professional road cyclist * Aleš Čar (born 1971), writer * Karel Dežman (1821–1889),

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region s ...

n politician and scholar * Damir Feigel (1879–1959), writer, journalist, cultural worker, satirist, humorist, father of Slovenian science fiction, national awakener and anti-fascism fighter * Heinrich Freyer (1802–1866), Slovenian botanist, cartographer, pharmacist and natural scientist * Ludvik Grilc (1851–1910), painter/portrait painter * Belsazar Hacquet (1739/40–1815), French natural scientist * Marko Hatlak (born 1980), accordionist * Vladimír Karfík (1901–1996), Czechoslovak architect * Eva Lucija Cecilija Viktorija Emilija Kraus, (1785–1845), Baroness of Wolsberg, lover of French Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

* Marko V. Lipold (1816–1883), Miner, geologist and lawyer, known as the father of Slovenian geology * Jožef Mrak (1709–1786), one of the most notable Slovenian polytechnicians *

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

(1922–1975),

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

Vasja Pirc Vasja Pirc () (December 19, 1907 – June 2, 1980) was a Slovenian chess player. He is best known in competitive chess circles as a strong exponent of the hypermodern defense now generally known as the Pirc Defense. Pirc was champion of Yugo ...

(1907–1980), chess grandmaster * Nikolaj Pirnat (1903–1948), sculptor, painter, illustrator and author * Zorko Prelovec (1887–1939), musician, composer, choir composition author * Luka Rupnik (born 1993), Slovenian basketball player * Marko Ivan Rupnik (born 1954), artist, philosopher and theologian *

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italian physician and naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first anational European" and the " Linnaeus of the A ...

(1723–1788), Italian natural scientist *

Jan Tratnik Jan Tratnik (born 23 February 1990 in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He was named in the startlist for the 2017 Giro d'Italia. In July 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Tour de France. M ...

(born 1990), professional road cyclist *

Anton Aloys Wolf Anton Aloys Wolf (June 14, 1782 – February 7, 1859) was a Prince- Bishop of Laibach (Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other Ljubljana#Name, historical names) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cul ...

(1782–1859), Roman Catholic bishop, philanthropist, patron of literature

References

Sources

External links

*
Idrija on Geopedia

Local newspaper

Tourist info

a page in English about the town and its history
Town portal
{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Idrija Mining communities in Slovenia Cities and towns in the Slovene Littoral World Heritage Sites in Slovenia Mercury mining