Municipal Museum

Top choice in The Julian Alps

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This award-winning museum is housed in the hilltop Gewerkenegg Castle. The excellent collections, which deal with mercury, lace and local history (but, sadly, not žlikrofi) are exhibited in three wings centred on a beautiful courtyard, and an accompanying booklet guides visitors through the rooms.

Exhibits span rocks and fossils (and a bowl of mercury in room 3) to lifestyles of the miners and the growth of the town. Head down the steps of the Mercury Tower (room 7) to see the mining tools used, and also the lovely modern sculpture of mercury drops suspended in perspex.

Another highlight is the wing given over entirely to the bobbin lace (klekljana čipka) woven here. Check out the tablecloth that measures 3m by 1.8m. It was designed for Madame Tito and took 5000 hours to make.

The castle itself was built in the 1520s to serve as the administrative headquarters of the Idrija mine.

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Nearby The Julian Alps attractions

1. Gewerkenegg Castle

The castle was built in the 1520s to serve as the administrative headquarters of the Idrija mine. This award-winning Municipal Museum is housed inside.

2. Idrija Lace School

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The Idrija Lace School was founded in 1876 (it's the biggest and oldest lace school in the world), and continues to offer lace-making skills to younger…

3. Anthony Mine Shaft

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The mine is a ‘living museum’, allowing you to get a feel for the working conditions of mercury miners in Idrija. The entrance is the Anthony Shaft, built…

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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…

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