Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija is a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site in Almadén, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and Idrija, Slovenia. The property encompasses two mercury mining sites. In Almadén mercury has been extracted since Antiquity, while in Idrija it was first found in 1490.^[1]

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Antonijev rov, mine entrance in Idrija
Location	Almadén, Province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Idrija, Municipality of Idrija, Gorizia Statistical Region, Slovenia
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv)
Reference	1313rev
Inscription	2012 (36th Session)
Area	104.1 ha (257 acres)
Coordinates	38°46′31″N 4°50′20″W
Almadén Idrija Almadén and Idrija in Europe

The sites bear testimony to the intercontinental trade in mercury which generated important exchanges between Europe and America over the centuries. The two sites represent the two largest mercury mines in the world and were operational until recent times. Mercury played an important role in extracting gold and silver from ores, dug in American mines. In addition, both sites illustrate the various industrial, territorial, urban and social elements of a specific sociotechnical system in the mining and metal production industries.^[1]

At the heart of the Almadén site is a Mining Park, where the public can go underground.^[2] There are also buildings relating to the town's mining history, including Retamar Castle,^[3] the San Rafael Mining Hospital (now an archive), and eighteenth-century dwellings which form a hexagonal bullring.^[4]

The site in Idrija notably features mercury stores and infrastructure, as well as miners’ living quarters, and a miners’ theatre.

Nomination process

Interior of one of the Almadén's mines

Idrija begun the process to inscribe the mercury heritage to the UNESCO's heritage list in 2006.^[5] Initially, the nomination was made together with Huancavelica mercury mine in Peru, in relation to the intercontinental route Camino Real. In the second stage, a nomination focused on mercury heritage in relation to silver mining, together with San Luis Potosí mine in Mexico - however, the nomination did not gather sufficient support. The third, successful stage of the nomination focused on mercury mining in relation to technological and industrial processes that influenced the economical and cultural development of the two regions.^[6]

List of registered monuments

Furnace of Bustamante of the mines of Almadén.

Headframe of the mines of Almadén.

Building of the pump in Idrija.

The elements of the "Mercury Heritage" are the following:^[7]

Almadén

Code	Name	Location	Protection zone	Coordinates
1313rev-001	Old town of Almadén	Almadén	48.98 ha	38.775278°N 4.843611°W / 38.775278; -4.843611 (Almadén - Vieille ville)
1313rev-002	Buildings of the Castle's Mine	Almadén	0,22 ha	38.772500°N 4.839722°W / 38.772500; -4.839722 (Bâtiments de la Mine del Castillo)
1313rev-003	Royal Prison of forced labor	Almadén	0.11 ha	38.771806°N 4.834167°W / 38.771806; -4.834167 (Royal Forced Labour Gaol)
1313rev-004	Hospital Real de San Rafael (children)	Almadén	0.10 ha	38.772778°N 4.831389°W / 38.772778; -4.831389 (Hôpital royal San Rafael pour mineurs)
1313rev-005	Bullring	Almadén	0.25 ha	38.775091°N 4.829682°W / 38.775091; -4.829682 (Bullring)

Idrija

Code	Name	Location	Protection zone	Coordinates
1313rev-006	Old town of Idrija	Idrija	47.33 ha	46.000612°N 14.022061°E / 46.000612; 14.022061 (Vieille ville d'Idrija)
1313rev-007	Foundry	Idrija	0.60 ha	46.006944°N 14.031111°E / 46.006944; 14.031111 (Idrija – Smelting Plant)
1313rev-008	Kamšt pump with water channel and tank (Kobila)	Idrija	1.61 ha	45.998889°N 14.030833°E / 45.998889; 14.030833 (Idrija – Kamšt water pump with the Rake water channel and Kobila dam)
1313rev-009	Water tank	Idrija	0.71 ha	46.017778°N 13.939444°E / 46.017778; 13.939444 (Gorenja Kanomlja – Kanomilja or Ovcjak Water Barrier)
1313rev-010	Idrija Lagoon	Idrija	1.21 ha	46.002778°N 13.920000°E / 46.002778; 13.920000 (Vojsko – Idrijca Water Barrier)
1313rev-011	Putrih Reservoir on the Belca River	Idrija	0.49 ha	45.976111°N 13.933611°E / 45.976111; 13.933611 (Idrijska Bela – Putrih’s Water Barrier on the Belca creek)
1313rev-012	Brus Reservoir on the Belca River	Idrija	2.49 ha	45.970278°N 13.952222°E / 45.970278; 13.952222 (Idrijska Bela – Belca Water Barrier on the Belca creek (or Brus`s Water Barrier))