Idrija Half Day Excursion: UNESCO Town including Castle and Mine Tour from Ljubljana
Description
Mercury and lace story A fascinating experience to discover the underground world of one of the oldest mercury mines in the world protected by UNESCO. Stroll through the halls of Idrija Castle with collections focusing on mercury mining and lace making. Admire the beautiful, spiderweb-shaped Idrija lace and the presentation on how it is made. Try it for yourself!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Small group approach with carefully planned time, where experienced local tour operator’s chauffeur guide will collect you at designated location for an informative hourly ride to inner part of Slovenia for your UNESCO experience. The history of mining in Idrija dates back to the 15th century when, according to a legend, a bucket maker working in a local spring spotted a small amount of liquid mercury. That happened in 1492, the year that Columbus set sail for the Americas. Only the Almadén mercury mine in Spain was bigger. Both towns were so famous that their names were used in North America for the mining towns of New Idria and New Almadén (both in California). Visitors decent into the mine with professional guide through Anthony's Shaft, dug back in 1500. They explore the underground world of the mine where they find hidden pockets of cinnabar ore and droplets of mercury, learn about the method of mining mercury, are introduced to life-size mannequins of workers over the ages and see the mid-18th century unique underground chapel Chapel of the Holy Trinity.
The old town is dominated by the Gewerkenegg Castle which in German means mine castle. It was built in the period from 1522-1533. On display in the castle is an exhibition of the five hundred-year history of the mercury mine's operation and an impressive retrospective exhibition of Idrija lace. The castle courtyard is beautifully decorated. The craft of bobbin lace-making occupies a very important place in the history of Idrija for more than 300 years ago. Cloths and napkins, curtains and bed linen, clothes and ornaments for clothes, even earrings, necklaces and gloves are all products made of Idrija lace. After a nice half day experience we will return back to Ljubljana. Drop off will be at same location as pick up.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
All tours: 1. Departure from CITY HOTEL, Dalmatinova 15, Ljubljana 2. Are offered complimentary pick up to all accommodation types (Hotel/Hostel/App) within Ljubljana ring or with post number 1000 Ljubljana 3. Clients with hotels within pedestrian zone will be redirected to the nearest possible pick up point. 4. Complimentary pick up is offered and will be executed only: !If FULL ACCOMMODATION ADDRESS will be provided! Departure point & exact hotel pick up will be reconfirmed to you within 24-48h before the tour with reconfirmation email.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children below 4 years are not allowed to participate a mine tour
- At the time of booking please provide a full international mobile telephone number or accommodation telephone number where you can be reached before and on your travel date.
- We are communicating with our clients exclusively through the point of booking, in this case TripAdvisor Interface
- Not recommended for travelers with clavstrophobia
Reviews(5)
The whole experience was a bit off putting. They started with a film telling you that the miners wished each other good luck at the start of every shift. Then said the shafts were 500 years old. All that gave me the hee-bee gebies. Then we walked into the mine with hard hats. I’m six feet tall and my head kept hitting the top of the shaft. It felt like a Hamas tunnel. I left. Others in my group continued and said it wasn’t that great. Very nice lady at the gift shop and a cool respite from the 35 degree heat.
We were the only ones in the “group” so basically it was a private tour, which already was a bonus. On the way to Idrija Milan told us many interesting pieces of information about Slovenia, its different parts and subcultures, the recent history and of course also about Idrija. He could answer every question we had, organized all tickets that were included in the price, waited for us when we wanted to drink coffee, brought umbrellas when it rained and even gave us a guided tour himself through the Gewerkenegg Castle museum. We definitely recommend this tour!
We did a half day trip to visit Idrija which is really the Mercury mine. It is very good with a very informative guide. You spend about 1.5 hours in the underground mine, you get a helmet and overalls to protect you. I would recommend doing this visit although maybe better time management if combined with trip to Postojna caves which aren’t very far from Idrija.
<p>We had a great tour to Idrija with Milan. He told us everything about the region. The visit of the mercury mine was highly interesting and Milan was also able to tell us a lot about the museum in the castle.</p>
<p>Our guide, Milan, gave us a wonderful insight into Slovenian history and the Indigra mine and lace making. Going deep into the mine and the way it is set up gave you a real indication of what life was like for the miners. We also got to culinary experience of Indigra pasta ... Delicious. I can highly recommend this half day trip ... You will not be disappointed. A great experience.</p>
