View source for Idrija

{{other uses}}
{{Redirect|Idria|the ghost town in California|New Idria, California}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Idrija
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
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| settlement_type    = Town
| motto              = <!-- Images     -->
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|photo2a = Gewerkenegg-Castle-Idrija-5-2021-Luka-Peternel.jpg
|photo2b = Idrija miners' theatre.jpg
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| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flagicon image|Flag of Slovenia.svg}} [[Slovenia]]
| subdivision_type1  = Traditional region
| subdivision_name1  = [[Inner Carniola]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Statistical regions of Slovenia|Statistical region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Gorizia Statistical Region|Gorizia]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Municipalities of Slovenia|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Municipality of Idrija|Idrija]]
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| elevation_m        = 334.5
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| postal_code        = 5280 Idrija
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| footnotes          = <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stat.si/eng/index.asp |title=Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia |access-date=2013-01-26 |archive-date=2008-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118142042/http://www.stat.si/eng/index.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>
  {{designation list | embed=yes
  | designation1 = WHS
  | designation1_offname = [[Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija]]
  | designation1_date = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#2012 (36th session)|2012]] <small>(36th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
  | designation1_type = Cultural
  | designation1_criteria = ii, iv
  | designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1313 1313]
  | designation1_free1name = Region
  | designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe and North America]]
  }}
}}

'''Idrija''' ({{IPA|sl|ˈìːdɾija|pron|Sl-Idrija.ogg}}, in older sources ''Zgornja Idrija'';<ref name="Leksikon">{{cite book |title=Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 6: Kranjsko |date=1906 |publisher=C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna |location=Vienna |pages=124–125}}</ref> {{langx|de|(Ober)idria}},<ref name="Leksikon"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Spezialkarte der Österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie 1:75.000 Bischoflack und Oberidria |date=1880 |publisher=Militärgeographisches Institut |location=Vienna |url=http://www.dlib.si/?URN=URN:NBN:SI:IMG-AGRFQPUB |access-date=January 7, 2019 |format=Map}}</ref> {{langx|it|Idria}}) is a town in western [[Slovenia]]. It is the seat of the [[Municipality of Idrija]]. It is notable for its [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] [[mining|mine]] with stores and infrastructure, as well as miners' living quarters, and a miners' theatre. Together with the [[Spain|Spanish]] mine at [[Almadén]], it has been a [[Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija|UNESCO World Heritage Site]] since 2012.<ref name="UNESCO_heritage">[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1313/ Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija - UNESCO World Heritage Centre<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Idrija is also known for [[Idrija lace|Idrija Lace]], a bobbin tape lace which is registered under protected geographical indication by the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geographical indication Idrija lace. |url=https://www.lacepatterns.link/index/idrijalace.html |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=www.lacepatterns.link |language=en}}</ref> In 2011, Idrija was given the [[Alpine Town of the Year]] award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Idrija / Slovenia: Alpine Town of the Year 2011 |url=https://www.alpinetowns.org/town/idrija/ |website=Alpine Town of the Year |publisher=Alpine Town of the Year Association |access-date=July 2, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Idrija Is the Alpine Town of the Year 2011 |url=https://www.cipra.org/en/news/4302 |website=CIPRA – Living in the Alps |access-date=July 2, 2025 |date=February 16, 2011}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Idrija (st. Anthony of Padua church view).jpg|thumb|left|The Idrijca River seen from St. Anthony's Church]]
The town of Idrija lies in the [[Idrija Basin]], surrounded by the [[Idrija Hills]], in the traditional region of [[Inner Carniola]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kranjc |first1=Gregor J. |title=To Walk with the Devil: Slovene Collaboration and Axis Occupation, 1941–1945 |date=2013 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |page=34 |quote=the present-day Slovene region of Notranjska), and its main towns of Idrija and Postojna}}</ref> and in the [[Gorizia Statistical Region]]. Today, its inhabitants mostly consider it part of the [[Slovene Littoral]].<ref>{{cite conference |url=http://www.pokrajine.si/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Pokrajine-Zbornik_knjiga_28.6.2020.pdf |last1=Geršič |first1=Matjaž |last2=Perko |first2=Drago |chapter=Pokrajinska identiteta v Sloveniji |language=sl |trans-chapter=Regional identity in Slovenia. |editor-last=Brezovnik |editor-first=Boštjan |editor-last2=Holcman |editor-first2=Borut |editor-last3=Trpin |editor-first3=Gorazd |title=Pokrajine v Sloveniji |trans-title=Regions in Slovenia |publisher=Inštitut za lokalno samoupravo |year=2020 |pages=41–60 |id={{COBISS|ID=21117187}}}}</ref> It is traversed by the [[Idrijca]] River, which is joined there by Nikova Creek. It includes the neighborhoods of Brusovše, Cegovnica, Prenjuta, and Žabja Vas close to the town center, as well as the more outlying hamlets of Češnjice, Ljubevč, Marof, Mokraška Vas, Podroteja, Staje, and Zahoda. The Marof hydroelectric plant is located on the Idrijca River on the northern outskirts of Idrija, between Marof and Mokraška Vas. Springs in the area include Podroteja Spring<ref>{{cite web |title=Podroteja I – Idrijca |url=http://www.arso.gov.si/vode/podatki/amp/H8350_g_1.html |website=Hidrološki podatki |publisher=Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje |access-date=June 12, 2019}}</ref> and [[Wild Lake]] on the Idrijca River south of the town.
{{clear left}}

==History==
{{See also|Idrija lace|Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija}}

In the Middle Ages, Idrija was managed by the [[Patriarchate of Aquileia]] and the [[Counts of Gorizia]] as part of the Governorate of Tolmin, which became independent in the 15th century. [[Mercury (element)|Mercury]] was discovered in Idrija (known as ''Idria'' under Austrian rule) in the late 15th century (various sources cite 1490,<ref name="Arko">Arko, Mihael. 1931. ''Zgodovina Idrije: po raznih arhivalnih in drugih virih.'' Ljubljana: Katoliška knjigarna, p. 1.</ref><ref>Savnik, Roman, ed. 1968. ''Krajevni leksikon Slovenije'', vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 70.</ref><ref name="Kmecl">Kmecl, Matjaž. 1981. ''Treasures of Slovenia.'' Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, p. 262.</ref> 1492,<ref>Budkovič, Tomaž, Robert Šajn, & Mateja Gosar. 2003. "Vpliv delujočih in opuščenih rudnikov kovin in topilniških obratov na okolje v Sloveniji ." ''Geologija'' 46(1): 135–140, p. 136.</ref><ref>Svetličič, Marjan, & Matija Rojec. 2000. "Kolektor." In Saul Estrin et al. (eds.), ''Foreign Direct Investment in Central Eastern Europe,'' pp. 3–28. New York: M. E. Sharpe, p. 3.</ref> and 1497<ref name="Arko" /><ref name="Kmecl" />).
After 1500, Idrija was occupied for one year by the [[Republic of Venice]] (in 1508), but it was otherwise governed by the [[House of Habsburg]]. In March 1511, it was affected by the forceful [[1511 Idrija earthquake]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lampe |first=Katarinca |url=http://www.digitalna-knjiznica.bf.uni-lj.si/vs_lampe_katarinca.pdf |title=Zgodovinski mejniki pri gospodarjenju z idrijskimi gozdovi |year=2007}}</ref> To support the mining activities, [[Gewerkenegg Castle]] was constructed between 1522 and 1533 by the mine owners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.muzej-idrija-cerkno.si/en/obiscite-nas/top-10-zanimivosti/?zanimivost=6054|title = Top 10 attractions}}</ref> Mining operations were taken over by the government in 1580.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Idria|volume=14|page=289}}</ref> 

In the 18th century, Idrija gained the rights of a [[market town]]. For long time Idrija was a cornerstone of the global supply of mercury. As such, Idrija supplied mercury needed in the [[silver mining|silver mines]] of the [[Spanish Empire]] when the mercury mines of [[Almadén]] and [[Huancavelica]] faltered in their deliveries.<ref name="historica">{{Cite journal |title=El derrumbe de Huancavelica en 1786: Fracaso de una reforma borbónica |journal=Histórica |last=Lang |first=Mervyn |url= |volume=X |issue=2 |pages=213-226 |year=1986 |language=es}}</ref> From 1783 until the 1910s, Idrija was part of the [[Inner Carniola]] ''[[Kreis (Habsburg Empire)|Kreis]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://skupnost.sio.si/pluginfile.php/75796/mod_forum/attachment/463696/slo_pokrajine.pdf |last=Golec |first=Boris |title=Kako so natali GORENJCI, DOLENJCI in NOTRANJCI ter kam so izginili KRANJCI |date=November 2015 |journal=SLO časi, kraji, ljudje. Slovenski zgodovinski magazin |page=34}}</ref>

The mineral [[idrialite]], discovered here in 1832, is named after the town.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nickel |first1=Ernest H. |title=Mineral Reference Manual |last2=Nichols |first2=Monte C. |date=1991 |publisher=Van Nostrand Reinhold |location=New York |page=95}}</ref> 

By the late 19th-century, lace-making became an important source of international trade. The first lace shop in Idrija, was run by Karolina Lapajne in 1860, although the earliest written record of lace-making in Idrija dates back to 1696. In 1875, Franc Lapajne entered the lace market, which led to lace being exported across Europe and America. In 1876, [[Ivanka Ferjančič]] opened the Idrija Lace School to meet the demand for qualified lace makers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.cipkarskasola.si/o-soli/history/?lang=en |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=Čipkarska šola Idrija |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Geographical indication Idrija lace. |url=https://www.lacepatterns.link/index/idrijalace.html |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=www.lacepatterns.link |language=en}}</ref>

By 1905, lace was being exported through the Idrija Lace Cooperative to Europe, America, and Egypt. During [[World War I]], established lace trade links disappeared.<ref name=":0" />  

In 1920, Idrija came under Italy with the [[Treaty of Rapallo (1920)|Treaty of Rapallo]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:DOC-MOB3CTWJ/?query=%27keywords%3DRapallo+border%27&pageSize=25 |last1=Grom |first1=Janez Peter |last2=Mikša |first2=Peter |last3=Fikfak |first3=Alenka |title=Pomen rapalske meje in vpliv na morfološki razvoj Idrije ter Žirov |language=sl |trans-title=The Significance of the Rapallo Border and its Influence on the Morphological Development of Idrija and Žiri |journal=Annales. Series historia et sociologia |volume=31 |issue=1}}</ref> In September 1943, it became part of the [[Nazi Germany]] and was then heavily rocketed by the [[South African Air Force|SAAF]] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://365.rtvslo.si/arhiv/dokumentarci-kulturno-umetniski/174539339 |title=Jeklene ptice nad Idrijo |date=2018 |last=Rijavec |first=Monika |type=Motion picture |language=sl |others=Directed by Dušan Moravec, Director of Picture Jurij Nemec}}</ref> After the war, it formed part of the [[Socialist Republic of Slovenia]] within [[Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and became a town in independent [[Slovenia]] in June 1991.

The Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Slovenia granted the right to label lace with a geographical indication in 2000. In 2003, the Idrija Lacemakers Association was founded to preserve the art of lacemaking. In 2013, lacemaking in Idrija was added to the national list of intangible cultural heritage. In 2016, Slovenia declared lacemaking a living masterpiece of national importance. In 2018, lacemaking in Slovenia was declared on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geographical indication Idrija lace. |url=https://www.lacepatterns.link/index/idrijalace.html |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=www.lacepatterns.link |language=en}}</ref>

{{historical populations|25=1948|26=4735|27=1953|28=5013|29=1961|30=6030|31=1971|32=6933|33=1981|34=7229|35=1991|36=6195|37=2002|38=5878|39=2011|40=5955|41=2021|42=5831|footnote=Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.}}{{clear left}}
===Legend===
According to legend, a bucket maker working in a local spring spotted a small amount of liquid mercury in 1490.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Anton Zelenc |editor1-last=Kladnik |editor1-first=Drago |title=Slovenija V |date=2011 |publisher=Ljubljansko geografsko društvo, Založba ZRC |location=Ljubljana |page=77 |chapter=Idrija z okolico}}</ref> Idrija is one of the few places in the world where mercury occurs in both its [[native metal|native state]] and as [[cinnabar]] (mercury sulfide) ore. The subterranean shaft mine entrance known as Anthony's Shaft (''Antonijev rov'') is used today for tours of the upper levels, complete with life-sized depictions of workers over the ages. The lower levels, which extend to almost 400 meters below the surface and are no longer being actively mined, are currently being cleaned up.

{{multiple image
| align             = left
| total_width       = 600
| footer            = Idrija mercury mine
| footer_align      = center
| image1            = Idrija-Valvasor.jpg
| caption1          = 1679 engraving by [[Johann Weikhard von Valvasor]]
| image2            = AntonijevRov-Idrija.jpg
| caption2          = Anthony's Shaft, mine entrance
| image3            = Idrija-Mine-1-2021-Luka-Peternel.jpg
| caption3          = Inside the mine
}}







{{clear left}}
==Church==
The [[parish church]] in the town is dedicated to [[Saint Joseph|Saint Joseph the Worker]] and belongs to the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Koper|Diocese of Koper]]. There are three other churches in Idrija, dedicated to the [[Holy Trinity]], [[Anthony of Padua|Saint Anthony of Padua]], and [[Our Lady of Sorrows]].<ref>[http://kp.rkc.si/dokumenti/zupnije/seznam.pdf Koper Diocese list of churches] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306055057/http://kp.rkc.si/dokumenti/zupnije/seznam.pdf |date=2009-03-06 }}</ref>

==Notable people==
Notable people who were born or lived in Idrija include:
*[[Aleš Bebler]] (1907–1981), Slovene communist leader, resistance fighter, and diplomat
*[[Jožef Blasnik]] (1800–1872), printer, publisher
*[[Stanko Bloudek]] (1890–1959), designer
*[[Borut Božič]] (born 1980), professional road cyclist
*[[Aleš Čar]] (born 1971), writer
*[[Karel Dežman]] (1821–1889), [[Carniola]]n politician and scholar
*[[Damir Feigel]] (1879–1959), writer, journalist, and anti-fascist
*[[Heinrich Freyer]] (1802–1866), botanist, cartographer, pharmacist, and natural scientist
*[[Ludvik Grilc]] (1851–1910), painter/portrait painter
*[[Belsazar Hacquet]] (1739/40–1815), French natural scientist
*[[Vladimír Karfík]] (1901–1996), Czech architect
*[[Eva Lucija Cecilija Viktorija Emilija Kraus]], (1785–1845), Baroness of Wolsberg, lover of French Emperor [[Napoleon]]
*[[Marko V. Lipold]] (1816–1883), geologist and lawyer, father of Slovenian geology
*[[Jožef Mrak]] (1709–1786), surveyor and cartographer
*[[Pier Paolo Pasolini]] (1922–1975), [[Italy|Italian]] [[film director]] and [[poet]]
*[[Leopoldina Pelhan]] (1880–1947), Slovenian bobbin-lace maker, teacher of bobbin lace making, draughtswoman and designer
*[[Vasja Pirc]] (1907–1980), chess grandmaster
*[[Nikolaj Pirnat]] (1903–1948), sculptor, painter, illustrator, and author
*[[Zorko Prelovec]] (1887–1939), musician, composer, choir composition author
*[[Marija Reven]] (1882 – after 1945), bobbin lacemaker teacher, draftswoman and designer
*[[Luka Rupnik]] (born 1993), basketball player
*[[Marko Ivan Rupnik]] (born 1954), artist, philosopher, and theologian
*[[Giovanni Antonio Scopoli]] (1723–1788), Italian natural scientist
*[[Jan Tratnik]] (born 1990), professional road cyclist
*[[Anton Aloys Wolf]] (1782–1859), Roman Catholic bishop, philanthropist, patron of literature

==See also==
* The [[ghost town]] of [[New Idria, California]], a site of mercury mining during the 19th-century [[California Gold Rush]], was named after Idrija.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Idrija}}
* [https://www.geopedia.world/#T12_L362_F2473:3851_x1561162.1831092276_y5780984.736072997_s14_b2345 Idrija on Geopedia]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090123193527/http://www.muzej-idrija-cerkno.si/english/index.htm Idrija municipal museum]
* [http://www.idrija.com/ Local newspaper]
* [http://www.idrija-turizem.si/ Tourist info]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050420210524/http://www.rzs-idrija.si/stran2ang.htm Tourist information], a page in English about the town and its history
* [http://www.idrija.ws/ Town portal]

{{Idrija}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Slovenia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Idrija| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in the Municipality of Idrija]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Slovenia]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Inner Carniola]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Slovenia]]
[[Category:Mercury mining]]