World Heritage Identification Number: 1313
World Heritage since: 2012
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: Yes
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: Slovenia, Spain
Continent: NA
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Mining Legacy: A Journey Through the Heritage of Mercury - Almadén and Idrija
The Heritage of Mercury, a shared UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers a unique glimpse into the rich history of mercury mining that spans continents and centuries. This designation encompasses two significant sites: Almadén in Spain and Idrija in Slovenia.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The property includes the mining sites of Almadén (Spain), where mercury (quicksilver) has been extracted since antiquity, and Idrija (Slovenia), where mercury was first found in AD1490. The Spanish property includes buildings relating to its mining history, including Retamar Castle, religious buildings and traditional dwellings. The site in Idrija notably features mercury stores and infrastructure, as well as miners’ living quarters, and a miners’ theatre. The sites bear testimony to the intercontinental trade in mercury which generated important exchanges between Europe and America over the centuries. Together they represent the two largest mercury mines in the world, operational until recent times.
Encyclopedia Record: Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija is a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site in Almadén, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and Idrija, Slovenia. The property encompasses two mercury mining sites. In Almadén mercury has been extracted since Antiquity, while in Idrija it was first found in 1490.Additional Site Details
Area: 104.1 hectares
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 38.7752777778 , -4.8388888889
