Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Anthony Mine Shaft
(Antonijev Rov; 031 810 194, 377 11 42;
www.rzs-idrija.si
;
Kosovelova ulica 3; adult/
child €6/4; tour 10am & 3pm Mon-Fri, 10am, 3pm & 4pm Sat & Sun)
The mine, a
'living museum' in the Šelštev building south of Trg Svetega Ahacija, allows you to get a
feeling for the working conditions of mercury miners in Idrija. The entrance is the
Anthony Shaft, built in 1500, which led to the first mine: 1.5km long, 600m wide and
400m deep.
The tour, lasting about 1¼ hours, begins in the 'call room' of an 18th-century building
where miners were selected each morning and assigned their duties. There's an excellent
20-minute video in several languages (including English) describing the history of Idrija
and the mine.
Before entering the shaft, you must don green overcoats and helmets with the miners'
insignia and wish each other '
Srečno!'
(Good luck!), the traditional miners' farewell.
As you follow the circular tour, you'll see samples of live mercury on the walls that the
miners painstakingly scraped to a depth of about 5cm, as well as some cinnabar ore. The
18th-century
Chapel of the Holy Trinity
(Cerkev Sv Trojice) in the shaft contains statues
of St Barbara, the patroness of miners, and St Ahacius, on whose feast day (22 June) rich
deposits of cinnabar were discovered.
MINE
Idrija Lace-Making School
(Čipkarska Šola Idrija; 373 45 70; Prelovčeva ulica 2; adult/student €2.50/2;
10am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Fri by appointment)
To the west of the square is the Idrija Lace-
Making School in the
Stara Šola
(Old School), built in 1876. Lace-making is still a popu-
lar elective course of study in elementary schools in Idrija.
NOTABLE BUILDING
Miner's House
(Frančiška Cesta; adult/child €1.70/1.30; 9am-4pm by appointment)
Laid out across
the slopes encircling the valley are Idrija's distinctive miners' houses. Large wooden A-
frames with cladding and dozens of windows, they usually had four storeys with living
quarters for three or four families. You can visit a traditional miner's house above the
centre of town accompanied by a guide from the museum.
NOTABLE BUILDINGS
