Idrija

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

The municipality of Idrija was established on 10 March 1994. 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 ,

The municipality has an area , and a population, in 2017, of 11,800: 5,920 men and 5,880 women. Its population density is of  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.

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 . 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 () 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.

 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 () 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 (). It is a lake near Idrija. The lake is the source of the Jezernica river, a tributary of the Idrijca and, at  long, the shortest river in Slovenia.

Sister cities
Idrija is twinned with:

  Aumetz
  Lepoglava

  Almaden
  Mojkovac

  San Luis Potosí
  Minamata

Gallery

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

References

Other websites

 Official website of the municipality 
 Municipality of Idrija on Geopedia.si 

Category:Towns in Slovenia
Category:1994 establishments in Slovenia