UNESCO protected town of Idrija tour

The 500-years-long history of Idrija began with the discovery of a rare and valuable liquid metal: mercury. The exciting discovery draw many miners into the valley and soon a lively mining settlement developed. With the discovery of the amalgamation procedure accompanying the discovery of South American silver and gold mines, mercury gained recognition and the Idrija mine soon became the second largest producer of this sole liquid metal in the world, while abroad it was renowned for its excellent technical equipment. With the mine on the rise, 18th century saw Idrija got much bigger, welcoming numerous workers from many lands. It had the best medical service in Europe, for obvious sad reasons. In the 17th century, the miners' wives began practicing the craft of bobbin lacemaking; the beauty and delicateness of their lace were held in high regard especially in the higher class. Idrija Lace School is the oldest continuous lace school in the world, keeping this amazing tradition still alive and thriving.