Municipality of Idrija

Contact

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Občina Idrija

Mestni trg 1, SI-5280 Idrija

http://www.idrija.si

obcina.idrija@idrija.si

Phone386 (0) 5 373 4500

Bojan Sever, Mayor

bojan.sever@idrija.si

A view of Idrija, 2008

The Municipality of Idrija covers a total area of 294 square kilometres and has a population of 11,943 people (2002) living in 35 settlements. Idrija is a member of the Slovene Association of Historic Towns.

The Social Activities Department of Idrija Municipality covers the field of education, sport, culture, science, health care and social care; its tasks depend on legislation. Both of Idrija’s municipal institutions, the library and the museum, were established and are now financed jointly by the municipalities of Idrija and Cerkno. The preservation and restoration of cultural and technical heritage monuments is financed by the municipality as well as the state.

The Idrija region has many technical monuments - part of the old mercury mine has been transformed into the Idrija Mine Museum – as well as important heritage sites like Idrija Castle (1533). Slovenia’s oldest theatre building, built by Maria Teresa of Habsbourg, is also located in Idrija. The municipality financially supports various cultural events, among them annual traditional ‘castle evenings’ held in the restored castle atrium. It also supports the activities of various cultural associations and issues the cultural publication Idrijski razgledi. The rich musical tradition of Idrija is reflected in the large number of its children entering music school.

The local branch of the Union of Cultural Societies of Slovenia (ZKDS) brings together 17 local cultural associations (drama groups, choirs, painters, etc) comprising about 450 members. The oldest-established of these is the Brass Music Association, a brass orchestra which celebrated its 340th anniversary in 2005. The local branch office of the Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia (JSKD), located at the municipal headquarters, also assists local associations and organises cultural events.

See also

• Idrija Mine Museum
• Idrija Municipal Museum
• Idrija City Library and Reading Room
• List of municipalities

External links

• Municipality of Idrija website (in Slovenian)
• Idrija Mercury Mine
• The City of Idrija Heritage
• The Miners’ Theatre in Idrija - the history of the oldest theatre in Slovenia from the Theatre Architecture in Central Europe web database

UNESCO World Heritage List

• Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija (Spain, Slovenia) (pdf)
• Evaluations of Nomination of Cultural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List by ICOMOS, 2012 (pdf, p. 339-352)
• Idrija on the Mercury Route of the Intercontinental Camino Real, UNESCO tentative list (Spain, Mexico, Slovenia), the abandoned candidature from 2007

Gallery

Antonijev rov, the Idrija Mine Museum entrance and birth-house of Slovene engineer Stanko Bloudek

Idrija Mine Museum, 2011

Miner's House - Ethnological Collection, 2007

Copper engraving of Idrija, including the mercury mine, by Janez Vajkard Valvasor (published in his The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola), 1689

Steel engraving of Idrija, 1840

A view of Idrija, 2008