Agfdhyk

Idrija
Idrija Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°00′4.74″N 14°01′19.59″E / 46.0013167°N 14.0221083°E / 46.0013167; 14.0221083Coordinates: 46°00′4.74″N 14°01′19.59″E / 46.0013167°N 14.0221083°E / 46.0013167; 14.0221083
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Littoral
Statistical region	Gorizia
Municipality	Idrija
Area
• Total	13.1 km2 (5.1 sq mi)
Elevation	334.5 m (1,097.4 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	5,878
Climate	Cfb
[1]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Designated	2012 (36th session)
Reference no.	1313
State Party	Spain
Region	Europe and North America

Idrija (pronounced [ˈiːdɾija] (listen); Italian and German: Idria^[2]) is a town in western Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Idrija. It is located in the traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral and is in the Gorizia Statistical Region. 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 mine at Almadén, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.^[3] In 2011, Idrija was given the Alpine Town of the Year 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.

History

Idrija mercury mine, 1679 engraving by Johann Weikhard von Valvasor

Anthony's Shaft, mine entrance in Idrija

Mercury was discovered in Idrija (known as Idria under Austrian rule) in the late 15th century (various sources cite 1490,^[4][5][6] 1492,^[7][8] and 1497^[4][6]). 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 (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 in the town is dedicated to Saint Joseph the Worker and belongs to the Diocese of Koper. There are three other churches in Idrija, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Saint Anthony of Padua, and Our Lady of Sorrows.^[9]

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 (born 1980), professional road cyclist


• 
  Aleš Čar (born 1971), writer


• 
  Karel Dežman (1821–1889), Carniolan 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–?), Baroness of Wolsberg, lover of French Emperor Napoleon
  


• 
  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 (1922–1975), Italian film director and poet
  


• 
  Vasja Pirc (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 (1723–1788), Italian natural scientist


• 
  Jan Tratnik (born 1990), professional road cyclist


• 
  Anton Alojzij Wolf (1782–1859), Roman Catholic bishop, philanthropist, patron of literature


• 
  Tanja Žakelj (born 1988), Slovenian professional world champion mountain biker

See also

• The ghost town of New Idria, California, a site of mercury mining during the 19th-century California Gold Rush, was named after Idrija.

References

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Idrija.

• 
  Idrija, official page of the municipality (in Slovene)
  


• Idrija on Geopedia


• Idrija municipal museum


• Local newspaper


• Tourist info


• 
  Tourist information, a page in English about the town and its history


• Town portal