Idrija

Idrija (Italian: Idria, German: Idria) is a small Slovenian town that is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Idrija (Slovene: Občina Idrija). It is known for its mercury mine and the production of lace.

Idrija
Municipality
View of the town of Idrija
Map showing, in red, Idrija
Coordinates: 46°00′4.74″N 14°01′20″E
Country	Slovenia
Traditional regional	Littoral
Statistical region	Goriška
Government
• Mayor	Bojan Sever
Area [1]
• Total	293.7 km2 (113.4 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	340 m (1,120 ft)
Population  (2017)[3]
• Total	11,800
• Density	40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	5280
ISO 3166-2	SI-036
Website	Official website
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 Slovenia
Region	Europe and North America

The municipality of Idrija was established on 10 March 1994.^[4] In 2011, Idrija was given the Alpine Town of the Year award.

Geography

The municipality of Idrija is in western Slovenia and is part of the Goriška statistical region. The town of Idrija is at an altitude of 340 m (1,120 ft),^[2]

The municipality has an area 293.7 km² (113.4 sq mi),^[1] and a population, in 2017, of 11,800: 5,920 men and 5,880 women.^[3] Its population density is of 40.2 inhabitants/km².

The municipality of Idrija is surrounded by the following municipalities: Cerkno to the north, Žiri to the northeast, Logatec to the east and southeast, Ajdovščina to the south and soutwest, Nova Gorica (a short border) to the west and Tolmin to the northwest.^[5][6]

The main river in the municipality is the Idrijca river, that flows through the town of Idrija; the river gives its name to the main town of the municipality, Idrija.

The area has a moderately continental climate; the average rainfall is 1,300 to 2,800 mm (51 to 110 in). The least precipitation is in February and July, and the highest is in November.

History

In 1497, deposits of mercury were discovered in Idrija. This is one of the only places in the world where one can find mercury in both its liquid form and like cinnabar (mercuric sulfide). It was only in the 1980s that the mine was closed.

From 1783 to 1918 the region of Idrija was part of Austria-Hungary. After World War II, it was annexed to Italy. Under Italian rule (1918–1943), the area that is now the Municipality of Idrija was a comune of the Province of Gorizia (as Idria).

The town is since June 2012 listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija) because of its former mercury mines.

Settlements

There are 38 settlements (Slovene: Naselja) in the municipality; the main settlement is Idrija, which is the administrative centre of the municipality and is in a valley around the Idrijca river.^[3]

Code Settlement Population (2017) 036001 Čekovnik 128 036002 Črni Vrh 683 036003 Dole 135 036004 Godovič 729 036005 Gore 113 036006 Gorenja Kanomlja 132 036007 Gorenji Vrsnik 125 036008 Govejk 82 036009 Idrija 5860 036010 Idrijska Bela 74 036011 Idrijske Krnice 141 036012 Idrijski Log 87 036013 Idršek 37 036014 Javornik 1 036015 Jelični Vrh 117 036016 Kanji Dol 12 036017 Korita 25 036018 Ledine 90 036019 Ledinske Krnice 69

Code Settlement Population (2017) 036020 Lome 107 036021 Masore 61 036022 Mrzli Log 24 036023 Mrzli Vrh 49 036024 Pečnik 36 036025 Potok 27 036026 Predgriže 151 036027 Spodnja Idrija 1434 036028 Spodnja Kanomlja 261 036029 Spodnji Vrsnik 47 036030 Srednja Kanomlja 158 036031 Strmec 21 036032 Vojsko 235 036033 Zadlog 282 036034 Zavratec 133 036035 Žirovnica 24 036036 Rejcov Grič 14 036037 Razpotje 69 036038 Ledinsko Razpotje 27

Tourism

Some tourist places in and around Idrija are:

• Mercury mine. The mine entrance known as Anthony's Shaft (Slovene: Antonijev rov) is used today for tours of the upper levels; the lower levels are closed.
• Gewerkenegg Castle. It was used by the administration of the mercury mine during 400 years.
• Wild Lake (Slovene: Divje jezero). It is a lake near Idrija. The lake is the source of the Jezernica river, a tributary of the Idrijca and, at 55 m (180 ft) long, the shortest river in Slovenia.

Sister cities

Idrija is twinned with:

Aumetz Lepoglava

Almaden Mojkovac

San Luis Potosí Minamata

Gallery

• 
  Anthony's Shaft (Slovene: Antonijev rov).
• 
  The Gewerkenegg Castle.
• 
  The Wild Lake (Slovene: Divje jezero).
• 
  The hilly landscape above Idrija, near the village of Idrijske Krnice

Related pages

• Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
• Slovenian Littoral
• Goriška Statistical Region