Idrija – Idrija Mercury Mine Smelting Plant – the 1st phase of the renovation
The objective of the project was to preserve and renovate the important monument of national importance as entered in the UNESCO World Heritage List, to enrich the tourist offer and the range of educational programmes to various target groups and to increase awareness of the importance of preserving our cultural heritage and its development options. The role of Idrija Municipal Museum in the project was monitoring, technical supervision and expert assistance in the renovation of movable heritage, the presentation of the historical development of the sorting, milling and burning of ore, collection and presentation of stories of still living employees in the area of the former smelting plant and cooperation in preparing new educational and tourist programmes. During the project, the museum organised a consultation with invited guests on the issues of protection and renovation of technical heritage; based on examples of good practice, we set up an exhibition on the historical development of the Idrija Mercury Mine smelting plant and a lecture on the plant after Second World War; we had a discussion evening with former employees of the smelting plant, and a workshop showing mercury casting into a mould.
Source of financing:
From the EEA Financial Mechanism Programme 2009–2014 (Area Cultural Heritage)
Project duration:
30/12/2014–29/12/2017
Project partners:
Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Centre – the leading partner
Idrija Municipal Museum
Magma Geopark (Norway)
Smuggling Anthologies
The project combined the phenomenon of smuggling with creativity, opening the path to modern art; it also used different sciences with the broad perspective to highlight its waving in the past and present, touched upon crime and the law, art and the economy. Three temporary exhibitions and an accompanying international symposium were organised in Rijeka, Idrija and Trieste, where the creation of artistic works, and the research results of participating artists and lecturers were presented to professional and general public, on the basis of a competitive tender of those invited to participate. Besides the “Smuggled Anthologies” exhibition that combined art and its own museology, and a two-day international symposium, the Idrija Municipal Museum also executed two field workshops, a temporary exhibition about cheating as smuggling knowledge, an evening of documentary films, a museum story hour and filmed a story. The results of the project were published in the museum publication The Panorama of Idrija (Idrijski razgledi) 2/2014 in the joint publication of the project entitled Smuggling Anthologies Reader (available at: https://limeu.com/riyecammsu/docs/creative der__1_).
Source of financing:
From the EU Culture 2007–2013 programme (project area of Cooperation projects), Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
Project duration:
1/2/2013–31/1/2015.
Project partners:
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Rijeka, Croatia) – leading partner
Idrija Municipal Museum
Trieste Contemporanea (Trieste, Italy)
My Sport is Franja
With the aim of recognising the message of Franja Partisan Hospital and the values of cultural heritage, we as associated partners joined the “My Sport is Franja” project, intended for integrating sport and cultural heritage, as well as promoting common values (solidarity, collective work, companionship, team spirit and respecting diversity). The museum participated in the project as a contractor of selected content. Within the promotional and presentation content associated with the heritage, we introduced the Franja Partisan Hospital and our heritage in general to the European public. We signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with our Marathon Franja organisation and entered the initiative of Cycle 2Heritage, which also promotes the integration of sport and cultural heritage. Idrija Municipal Museum participated in the Franja Academy in 2017 with our lecture presenting our cultural heritage and related common European values, which are an important contact point of sport and cultural heritage.
Source of financing:
From the Erasmus+ Sport programme (sport chapter of the programme)
Project duration:
01/01/2016–31/12/2017
Project partners:
ROG Cycling Club – leading partner
Italian Association of Sport For All (UISP, Italy)
Sports Association of the Istrian Region (Croatia)
Sports Association of Carinthia (Austria)
Slovak Cycling Federation
Idrija Municipal Museum
Franja Is Connecting Us
The project is a promotion of Europe-wide important heritage, the integration of local partners and the integration of the local population in preserving the heritage. As the key factor during the Second World War was cooperation and close integration of Franja Partisan Hospital personnel and the locals, this project also actively involves two partners from the local environment (an inn and a Tourist Association). The project activities envisage the preparation of a study on nutrition in wartime in case of the Franja Partisan Hospital and the results on meals, implemented in the contemporary menu of the Gačnk Inn (Gostišče Gačnk, a project partner). One room at the inn will be arranged as an authentic reconstruction of a homestead that was also a secret point for maintaining connections between partisan units and the Franja Partisan Hospital (a gathering point for the wounded before being transferred to hospital). Thematic evening events will be carried out at this contact point in order to maintain the tradition of postwar get-togethers of the wounded and the Franja Partisan Hospital staff; a walk from one secret contact point to another will also be organised under the auspices of the local Tourist Association – a walk that will connect homesteads that were once crucial for the establishment, existence and functioning of the hospital during the war.
Source of financing:
From the programme of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), on the basis of the project selection on the tender: Local development strategies in the municipalities of Logatec, Idrija and Cerkno in 2016 (LAS)
Project duration:
15/05/2018–31/05/2019
Project partners:
Idrija Municipal Museum – leading partner
Peternel in Peternel, gostinstvo in storitve, d.o.o.
Tourist Society of Novaki
Developing communication skills through cultural and artistic education
The project is based on the idea of a great pedagogical capacity of artistic experience. The purpose of the project is to develop connections between educational institutions, artists and cultural institutions in the direction of enlargement of innovative and open learning environments, which will significantly affect the rise in the communication skills of children and adolescents. In school and for authentic art environments, they will be encouraged to experience and learn about diverse artistic practices and expressions in artistic languages as well as using them. They will be introduced to active forms of artistic creating, and to cultural and artistic happenings in their environment. Children / students, educators / teachers and artists will be partners. The consortium consists of 35 partners: University of Primorska – Faculty of Education (managing), Academy of Music – University of Ljubljana, PI, National Education Institute, 29 kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools. The cooperation letter was signed by a 100 professional cultural institutions and artists. Idrija Municipal Museum has joined the project as a participating cultural institution and operator of selected content from the field of local heritage, and cultural and art events.
Source of financing:
From the programme for the EU Cohesion Policy 2014–2020 implementation, the European Social Fund
Project duration:
18/08/2017–30/06/2022
Project partners:
University of Primorska, Faculty of Education – leading partner
University of Ljubljana – Academy of Music
National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia
In 29 kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools and well as 100 professional cultural institutions and artists, who signed a signed letter of cooperation (among them also Idrija Municipal Museum).
Announcements for 2020: Renovation of the Idrija miners’ houses II (PIRH II)
There are 7 protected miners’ houses in the Municipality of Idrija, 8 apartment buildings, a whole miners’ street on Rudarska cesta and the city centre. Besides the individually protected units, there are, preserved and maintained in different states, a total of about 100 miners’ houses and more than 10 multi-storey housing facilities, “prhavzi”. The buildings with people still living there are mostly remodelled and upgraded, which means the owners have improved the living conditions but that makes our movable and intangible heritage (architecture, building construction skills, housing / living culture, growing vegetables, herbalism, diet / nutrition, language, dialect and literary creativity) disappear and is less and less present in the awareness of the owners, local population and tourists.
With the suggested operation, we want to establish new activities, measures, services as well as tourist-educational programmes to address the above mentioned issues of Idrija residential heritage.
The project results:
- The miner’s house on Bazoviška 4 to be revitalised with a summer programme and add short audiotapes about housing and the food culture of the Idrija people;
- To design and carry out tourist, and andragogic and pedagogic programmes: An academic tour, an adventure programme in in a miner’s house and an urban game;
- Publish a 40-page publication on the apartment buildings for the miners on Rudarska ulica (300 copies);
- Prepare an umbrella website about Idrija miners’ houses where the history of miners’ houses will be presented, the architectural features, today's state, renovation advices and other interesting matters;
- We will establish a “writer's residency” in the Miner’s house on Bazoviška ulica, where 2 writers/poets will be creating in the summer weeks;
- We will be carrying out architectural and marketing consulting for the owners of the miners’ houses.
- To list and document the housing and food heritage of the 1st half of the 20th century;
- Establish a single and comprehensive presentation of the housing heritage of Idrija;
- Encourage and support sustainable building renovations with architectural and marketing consulting for the owners;
- Establish and test new tourist products for young people and visitors;
- Promote and present the housing heritage of Idrija;
- Prove that housing heritage is a source of inspiration and a place for creativity;
- Connect stakeholders in the field of miners’ houses.
Source of financing:
The activity is financed by the European Union from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the Republic of Slovenia under the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020. Content is the responsibility of Idrija 2020 society. The managing authority for the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020 implementation is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food.
Project duration:
01/01/2020–31/12/2020
Project partners:
Idrija 2020, Idrija Youth Centre, Idrija Municipal Museum, Gewerkenegg Castle, Prostorož, ABC Merkur
Handicraft and artwork – heritage and modernity
Summary:
The starting point in preparing the project was the fact that there was always a need to be innovative in Idrija in all areas of life, if a man wanted to survive in the very unfriendly living environment of the Idrija basin. Both men and women had to be innovative, and that is why various new skills, areas of knowledge, professions and many handcrafts have always emerged in our region, some of which have not yet been properly researched or preserved for future generations, or have not yet been properly presented and promoted. We weren’t able to include all of them in the Handicraft and Artwork – Heritage and Modernity project, so we and our partners decided that the subject of this project will be the following themes:
Results and benefits for the LAS area, involved in the project operation:
- The first bobbin lace, which came into the Idrija and Cerkno regions in the beginning of the 18th century, making and smuggling it. The character of the most famous female smuggler Melhiorca is in the forefront,
- the mining lamps in mine pits. We will research the craft of making oil and carbide lamps, which were specifically designed for the needs of the miners and mine management during the period from 16th century to the beginning of 20th century;
- pottery and making of special clay vessels – retorta for the purposes of cinnabarite ore smelting, used around the Idrija Mine from the beginning of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century.
| DS 1 | Exchange of experience, knowledge and their implementation in the area of LAS |
| 1.1 | Preparation of a common plan for further development of traditional crafts, craft-based tourism in the area of all LAS |
| 1.2 | Preview of good practices in the LAS area of Škofja Loka Hills |
| 1.3 | Preview of good practices in the LAS area between Mount Snežnik and Mount Nanos |
| 1.4 | Preview of good practices in the LAS area of the Vipava Valley |
| 1.5 | Preview of good practices in the LAS s CILjem area |
| 1.6 | Implementing good practice in the field of traditional craft |
| 1.7 | Partners’ meeting and presentations of partner LAS in the area of Škofja Loka Hills |
| 1.8 | Partners’ meeting and presentations of partner LAS in the area between Mount Snežnik and Mount Nanos |
| 1.9 | Partners’ meeting and presentations of partner LAS in the area of the Vipava Valley |
| 1.10 | Partners’ meeting and presentations of partner LAS in the area LAS s CILjem |
| DS 2 | Development and marketing of services and products |
| 2.1 | Research on Marina Melhiorca and her smuggling pouch, and handicraft and artwork specific for the period she lived in (18th century) |
| 2.2 | Make costumes on the basis of the research results |
| 2.3 | Make a worksheet and preparation of interactive picture book on Marina Melhiorca |
| 2.4 | Illustration of the traditional character of “Melhiorca and the miner”, a concept of different promotional material |
| 2.5 | Conduct research on the old craft in the mine – the making of lamps in the mine |
| 2.6 | Presentation of pit lamps (oil lamps, carbide lamps, electric lights, etc.) through the centuries in the Idrija pit – smaller exhibition |
| 2.7 | Make a virtual images of Perkmandlc (hologram) |
| 2.8 | Make an old mining craft – pottery, translation of a chapter, outline of burning locations |
| 2.9 | Make a virtual display of burning in clay vessels (retorta), presentation on panels |
| 2.10 | Design and production of a smaller exhibition on burning in clay vessels (retorta) |
| 2.11 | Make invitations for two events: In The Pit Lamps’ Light Through The Centuries and the Mercury Days – Reflections of a Silver Era |
| DS 3 | Programmes for knowledge and skills transfer, and training |
| 3.1 | Preparation and pilot execution of andragogic and pedagogic programmes about domestic handcraft and artwork |
| 3.2 | Make an informative leaflet for various target groups with andragogic and pedagogic programmes about Melhiorca and a miner |
| 3.3 | Make an event concept for the demonstration of bobbin lacemaking from the 18th century |
| 3.4 | Theatrical performance of Melhiorca |
| 3.5 | Make a concept of the event The Mine Revives and its pilot execution |
| 3.6 | Make a concept of the event called Mercury Days, with the display of old crafts and knowledge |
| 3.7 | Make a concept of the event at the time of the Idrijan Lace Festival, and the Idrijan Dumplings Holiday and its execution, also with the display of old crafts and knowledge |
| 3.8 | Make a concept for a new product, namely a visit of burning sites outdoor and its pilot execution |
| 3.9 | Make management programmes for various target groups and pilot execution |
| 3.10 | Execution of storytelling workshops for guides in Anthony's Shaft and Hg Smelting Plant |
| 3.11 | Make CUDHg Idrija info leaflet in 15,000 copies |
| DS 4 | Promotion of new products, practices, procedures |
| 4.1 | Publish 2 DVDs of the film about Melhiorca |
| 4.2 | Make a documentary video film about various areas of knowledge and crafts in the mine titled “About all-skilled people at the Idrija Mercury Mine” |
| 4.3 | Promotion of CUDHg Idrija events |
| 4.4 | Photo-taking of events |
| 4.5 | Jumbo poster |
| 4.6 | Media bus |
| 4.7 | Make promotional related to Melhiorca |
| DS 5 | Project communication, dissemination and promotion |
| DS 6 | Management and coordination of project |
- established cooperation, acquired new knowledge and transfer of best practices between involved LAS,
- established cooperation between various target groups (including providers of domestic handcrafts and artworks DUO, which will be presented in the market together) and holders of heritage, heritage tourism and profession in the area of LAS involved,
- quality cultural heritage preserving – conducted research of typical crafts for each area and common plan for further development of the traditional crafts, craft tourism,
- development of new products and services based on professional research, and creation of new jobs, which consequently affects positive economic growth in the LAS areas, involved in the operation,
- sustainable management, preservation and promotion of cultural and natural heritage,
- executed promotional events and promotional material made.
- establish conditions for creating jobs: a variety of new tourist, educational and andragogic programmes, products and services will be developed in the project, enriching existing offer of two important tourist actors in Idrija, which are also project partners. This will mean a new entrepreneurial stimulus, a new initiative in our region. The project will contribute to improving the conditions for job creation in the social sector – tourism and education,
- develop and create new tourist products or services: on the basis of several traditional craft research in the Idrija region, new tourist services and products will be developed in the project. The concept of new tourist and awareness-raising events will be prepared and executed. A number of new products and services in the area: at least 16: Melhiorca character, Perkmandlc hologram, new costumes, interactive picture book, Melhiorca worksheets for children about Melhiorca, old pit lamps exhibition, a virtual display of ore burning in clay vessels (retorta), exhibition about ore burning in retortas, concept and pilot execution of 6 public events, worksheets for Hg smelting plant visitors, 3 info leaflets, etc. All mentioned can be joined into: 1. The upgrade of the tourist offers of the Idrija Municipal Museum; 2. An upgrade of the Idrija Mercury Heritage Centre tourist offers;
- Preserve and revive the area's heritage: one of the main project objectives is to preserve cultural heritage of the area and further development of the area on the foundations of this mining heritage. By researching the old, almost forgotten crafts, their modern presentation, revitalisation and promotion, we will contribute to the preservation of at least 3 old crafts: bobbin lace, making pit lights and making clay vessels – pottery;
- Activate the potentials of vulnerable groups: a number of project activities will include various vulnerable groups, some of which will be intended especially for them: for preschool and school children, the youth, people with sensory limitations and, at the same time, the representatives of vulnerable groups will be included in our activities as co-creators.
Source of financing:
Value of the entire project: EUR 126,796.61.
Project value by partners and co-financing from CLLD funds:
LAS s CILjem: EUR 1,019.30; co-financing from CLLD funds: EUR 585.68.
IMM: EUR 53,073.67; co-financing from CLLD funds: EUR 41,631.72.
CUDHg Idrija: EUR 52,759.64; co-financing from CLLD funds: EUR 36,877.86.
ICRA: EUR 19,944.00; co-financing from CLLD funds: EUR 16,559.25.
TOTAL: EUR 126,796.61 ; co-financing from CLLD funds: EUR 95,654.51.
Project duration:
01/04/2019–31/10/2020. The project is divided into two phases: 1st phase: 01/04/2019–28/02/2020; 2nd phase: 01/02/2020–31/10/2020.
Project partners:
• LAS with Goal (LAS s CILjem – holding partner)
• Idrija Municipal Museum, the museum for the Idrija and Cerkno regions (IMM)
• Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Centre (CUDHg Idrija)
• Idrijsko-Cerkljanska razvojna agencija d.o.o. Idrija (ICRA)
