Idrija Miner's Route

Slovenia

The Idrija Miners’ Route is a cultural and natural itinerary in the historic mining town of Idrija, created to celebrate more than five centuries of mercury mining that profoundly shaped the community’s identity and landscape. Idrija stands above one of the richest mercury ore deposits in the world, where cinnabar was first discovered in 1490, and where mining activity continued for nearly 500 years, making it the secondlargest mercury producer on the planet.

This longlasting presence of mining has left behind not only an extensive network of underground shafts and galleries but also surface structures, industrial facilities, residential buildings, religious sites, and historical transport routes that together tell the story of a remarkable sociotechnical system and its impact on local life.

The route extends approximately 33 kilometres and follows the old paths once used by miners, offering a profound journey through a landscape that blends technical, historical, cultural and natural heritage. Along the way, visitors encounter elements such as mine entrance buildings, smelting plants, mercury and grain storage facilities, quarry remains, and miners’ quarters, all of which reflect the economic, social and environmental transformations driven by mercury production. This itinerary, accessible on foot or by bicycle, serves not only as a physical link between places but as a living narrative of the community’s past, strengthening collective memory and bridging generations through direct engagement with the material traces of mining activity.

Idrija’s mining history has been internationally recognised: the region’s rich legacy forms part of the UNESCO “Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija” World Heritage Site, which encompasses the world’s two most significant mercury mining complexes and bears witness to the intercontinental trade and technological exchanges that characterised this metal’s role in global history.