Idrija

Idrija is a small town in western Slovenia that grew around one of the richest mercury mines in the world, in operation from the late fifteenth century until 1995 and now a UNESCO World Heritage site shared with the Almadén mine in Spain. The Gewerkenegg Castle, built by the mine administration to store mercury and house mine management, is the most prominent surviving structure and contains a theatre within its walls. The town's bobbin lace tradition, developed by miners' wives over centuries, has been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.