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Geological Heritage in the Idrija Region
(Slovenia)
Mojca Gorjup Kavčič*
Idrija, a town in western Slovenia, is
world famous for its mercury ore deposit
and 500-year-old mining tradition. The
uniqueness of Idrija’s mercury heritage has
also been recognized by UNESCO, which
inscribed it in the World Heritage List this
year. Besides the mercury ore deposit, the
whole region boasts a rich natural heritage,
especially geological heritage, with
many areas of outstanding value, the most
important being the exposed stratigraphic
cross-sections, karst and hydrological phenomena,
and morphological features. In
line with the Municipality’s strategy of commitment
to sustainable rural development,
the Idrija Geopark was established. Already
operational, the geopark will in future be
responsible for the preservation, interpretation,
education and development of geotourism
in the Municipality of Idrija.
Ville de l’ouest de la Slovénie, Idrija est mondialement
connue pour sa mine de mercure
et 500 ans de tradition minière. L’unicité de
sa mine de mercure est également reconnue
par L’UNESCO qui l’inscrivit cette année
sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial. Outre
les gisements de mercure, la région a aussi
un riche patrimoine naturel, notamment
le patrimoine géologique avec ses nombreux
sites grandioses, dont les coupes
stratigraphiques exposées, les phénomènes
karstiques et hydrologiques, et les particularités
morphologiques. Fondé dans l’esprit
de la stratégie de la Commune d’Idrija en
matière de développement rural durable,
Geopark Idrija est déjà opérationnel et voué
à la future préservation, interprétation, éducation
et développement du géotourisme de
la Commune d’Idrija.
Idrija, situada en el oeste de Eslovenia, es
conocida por su mina de mercurio y sus 500
años de historia minera. En reconocimiento
del valor de este patrimonio minero Idrija ha
sido incluida por la UNESCO en la Lista de
Patrimonio Mundial. Además de la mina,
esta región posee un rico legado natural,
en especial su patrimonio geológico con
muchos valores naturales, como ser los
cortes estratigráficos, los fenómenos
cársticos e hidrológicos y características
morfológicas especiales. De acuerdo con
la estrategia del Ayuntamiento de Idrija,
comprometido al desarrrollo sostenible de
las zonas rurales aledañas, ha sido fundado
el Geoparque Idrija que ya está en funcionamiento
y que en el futuro velará por la conservación,
la interpretación, la educación y
el desarrollo del geoturismo en la región.
From the Mercury Mine to the present
The history of Idrija has been inseparably
linked to the Idrija Mercury Mine since
1490, when mercury was first discovered
by a tubemaker. After this discovery, the
mine developed underground together
with the town above it, reaching the peak
of mercury excavation and extraction at
the beginning of the 20 th century. After a
decision was made to shut down the mine,
industry in this region underwent complete
restructuring and the town of Idrija became
a development centre for electric processing
and high-technology industry.
Despite the strong industry present in the
region, attention has always been devoted,
in the past and today, to the environment
and nature, as well as educating the population
on their preservation. Although in
the past natural science remained in the
shadow of intensive industrial development
of the town and region, the mine
simultaneously attracted to Idrija, as early
as in the 18 th century, several scientists
* Idrija Municipality, Mestni trg 1, 5280
Idrija, Slovenia, mojca.gorjup-kavcic@
geopark-idrija.si
Figure 1: Geological map of the Idrija Region (Čar, 2010, published by Geološki zavod Slovenije).
European Geologist 34 | November 2012
39