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Idrija

A UNESCO-listed mercury mining town, and the home of Slovenian bobbin lace.

Best time to visit
Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Elevation
330 m
Population
5,800
Suggested stay
Day trip
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Why visit

Idrija had the second largest mercury mine in the world, worked from 1490 to 1995, and the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012 together with Almadén in Spain. The Anthony Shaft is open as a guided underground tour, and the sixteenth-century water-powered Kamst pump is still in place. Mining left the town a second trade: Idrija lace, which women made while men were underground, and which is still taught at a school here. It is 50 minutes from Ljubljana and almost never crowded.

Official website

Things to do

See all 12
  • UNESCO

    mine · Idrija

    Anthony’s Shaft

    A guided walk into one of the oldest preserved mine entrances in Europe, part of Idrija’s UNESCO listing.

    • 1 h 40 min
    • World Heritage
  • Eingang zur Höhle Divje Babe I bei Šebrelje, Idrija, Slowenien.
    Thilo Parg

    archaeological site · Idrija

    Divje babe

    An archaeological site near Idrija.

    • 50 min

Nature

  • A few small heaps of aragonite crystals on the cave ceiling in Ravenska jama near Cerkno, Slovenia. The cave is closed.
    Tomaž Planina

    cave · Idrija

    Ravenska jama

    A cave near Idrija.

    • 1 h 30 min
  • "Wild lake", Divje jezero. A karst spring near Idrija , Slovenia . photo: Ziga 06:59, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
    No machine-readable author provided. Žiga assumed (based on copyright claims).

    cave · Idrija

    Wild Lake

    A cave near Idrija.

    • 1 h 30 min

Food & drink

See all 61

Family

  • UNESCO

    mine · Idrija

    Anthony’s Shaft

    A guided walk into one of the oldest preserved mine entrances in Europe, part of Idrija’s UNESCO listing.

    • 1 h 40 min
    • World Heritage

Nearby