Idrija
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Template:Municipality of Slovenia
Idrija is a small town and municipality with the same name in Slovenia. It is known for its mercury mine (today in the process of closing) and laces.
Under Austrian rule it was known as Idria. Mercury was discovered there in 1497, and mining productions were taken over by the government in 1580.
According to legend, a bucket maker working in a local spring spotted a small amount of liquid mercury over 500 years ago. Idrjia is one of the few places in the world where mercury occurs in both its elemental liquid 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 vignettes of workers over the ages. The lower levels, which reach to almost 400 meters below the surface and are no longer being actively mined and are currently being remediated.
The ghost town of New Idria, California, a site of mercury mining during the 19th-century California Gold Rush, was named after Idrija.
External links
- Idrija (http://www.idrija.si/), official page of municipality (in Slovene)
- tourist information (http://www.rzs-idrija.si/stran2ang.htm/), a page in English about the town and its history.