Introducing The Gewerkenegg Castle In Idrija
The Gewerkenegg Castle stands atop a small hill on the western edge of the small mining town of Idrija in western Slovenia. It was built between 1522 and 1533 to serve as the administrative headquarters of Idrija’s mercury mine. Today, the castle houses the award-winning Idrija Municipal Museum featuring the excellent collections which deal with mercury, lace and Idrija’s history.
Gewerkenegg Castle Review
The Gewerkenegg Castle was built in the 16th century by Idrija’s mercury industry and served as both a fortified store and administrative offices and, of course, as the director’s residence.
The castle has preserved its historical name, Gewerkenegg, which in German means mine castle. With its Renaissance style architecture and its three circular corner towers and single front tower dominating the facade, it was the most imposing building in Idrija when it was built. In the 18th century, the castle was embellished with Baroque appendages, including the beautiful arcaded courtyard and its vivid rococo frescoes of plants, scrolls and columns which frame the windows and arcades. After the Second World War the castle was in pretty poor condition but painstaking reconstruction work in 1980s and 1990s has returned it to its former glory.
The main reason to visit the Gewerkenegg Castle in Idrija is most definitely the award-winning Idrija Municipal Museum which is housed inside the castle. The collections which deal with mercury, lace and Idrija’s local history are exhibited in three wings centred on a courtyard. An accompanying booklet guides visitors through the rooms. The museum’s main aim is to preserve, present, and research the rich technical heritage of Idrija’s mercury mine, once the second largest mercury mine in the world, and the ethnological features of the life of local miners and peasants. In 1997 it received the prestigious Luigi Micheletti Award, as the best European museum of industrial and technical heritage.
The museum’s main exhibition is entitled ‘Five Centuries of the Mercury Mine and the Town of Idrija’ and presents the development of the town of Idrija and its mine which was the second largest mercury mine in Europe and the reason for Idrija’s spot on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. While operating, the mine produced almost 15% of all mercury in the world. The exhibition is thematically divided into 11 sections with 25 exhibition rooms covering an area of more than 1,300 square metres. The most interesting sections are possibly the Collection of Rocks, Fossils, Mercury Ores and Minerals with nearly 3,000 different specimens (the biggest exhibited collection of its kind in Slovenia) and the Mercury Tower, which is designed like a shaft with three levels.
Idrija is also famous throughout the world for its lace, so a good part of the museum is dedicated to the centuries-old tradition of lace making in Idrija. Lace has always been a valuable product combining skill, accuracy, imagination and patience and the museum is full of beautiful examples of Idrija lace, including many of Idrija’s unique asymmetric creations. While looking at the remarkable pieces of lace, you’ll see why Idrija lace was a favorite among the royal families of Europe. The exhibition is entitled ‘Idrija Lace, A History Written in Thread’ and is set up in 3 rooms and divided in 8 thematic groups (room 1: Bobbin Lace in Europe, Development of Idrija Lace; room 2: Lace Trading, Lacemakers; room 3: Lacemaking School, Lace and Society, Idrija Lace Festival, and Treasure Chest of Lace).
In the castle, there is also a permanent gallery collection of 33 paintings and prints by renowned Slovene and Italian artists, the Memorial Room of the famous Slovene writer France Bevk, a music school, a nice restaurant and lovely a souvenir shop where you can buy unique cubes filled with mercury drops among other things. There are some great views from the terrace over Idrija and the forested slopes that hem the town in.
If you are having a busy cultural day in Idrija learning about mercury-mining and lace-making, take time out to visit the Gewerkenegg Castle. It is well worth couple of hours, and you don’t have to be an engineer or scientist type to enjoy the castle and its award-winning museum. The castle is open daily from 9.00 to 18.00. Majority of the castle is free to wander, but if you want to enter the museum, the admission is €5 for adults and €3 for children. Single collection only €2. Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available. The disabled persons can access the courtyard but not the museum.
Pictures of the Gewerkenegg Castle in Idrija
12 high-resolution photos that prove you absolutely have to visit the Gewerkenegg Castle!
All the photos below are from the Media library of I Feel Slovenia
The Gewerkenegg Castle and the town of Idrija. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
The beautiful arcaded courtyard. (Image by Tomo Jesenicnik)
Another photo of a beautifully decorated courtyard. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
A view from inside the castle. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
A young lace maker demonstrating the art of lacemaking. (Image by Marco Coppo)
Another photo of a young lace maker demonstrating the art of lacemaking in the castle’s courtyard. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
Inside the award-winning Idrija Municipal Museum. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
Another photo from the museum. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
Another photo from the museum. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
Exterior of the castle. (Image by Marko Sinkovec)
Exterior of the castle in the autumn. (Image by Jani Peter)
Exterior of the castle at night. (Image by Iztok Boncina)
The town of Idrija and the Gewerkenegg Castle. (Image by Dunja Wedam)
Location of the Gewerkenegg Castle In Idrija on the map
Address: Prelovčeva ulica 9, 5280 Idrija, Slovenija
Latitude and Longitude Coordinates: 46.000822, 14.018490
GPS coordinates: 46° 0′ 2.9592” N 14° 1′ 6.564” E
Traditional region: Littoral (Slovene: Primorska)
Statistical region: Gorizia
Municipality: Idrija
Idrija is a lovely small town with a population of just under 6,000 in western Slovenia that lies at the base of a valley, amid green hills and is crossed by the Idrijca river. It has a typical central-European architecture and you can see a strong influence of the Austro-Hungarian empire, especially in the town's main buildings. Today, Idrija is best known for three things: a mercury mine (the reason for Idrija's spot on UNESCO's World Heritage list), intricate locally made lace and zlikrofi (a traditional Slovenian dish from Idrija). |
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Overall Rating: The history of mining in Idrija dates back to 1490. Until the First World War Idrija's Mercury Mine was one of the best technically equipped mines in Europe. In 1986 the decision was made to close the mine. Today, visitors can tour a portion of the closed mine, called Anthony's Shaft, and learn about the difficult conditions endured by the mercury miners from the end of the 15th century till the end of the 20th century. |
Overall Rating: The Gewerkenegg Castle stands atop a small hill on the western edge of the small mining town of Idrija in western Slovenia. It was built between 1522 and 1533 to serve as the administrative headquarters of Idrija's mercury mine. Today, the castle houses the award-winning Idrija Municipal Museum featuring the excellent collections which deal with mercury, lace and Idrija's history.. |
Overall Rating: One of the most interesting examples of mining technology that still exists in Idrija is the Kamst, an impressive waterwheel made of wood in 1790 to pump the water out of flooded mineshafts below. With a diameter of 13,6 meters, it is the largest preserved wooden waterwheel in Europe. It operated uninterrupted for 158 years until 1948. It stands on its original location in a stone building on the western outskirts of town. |
Overall Rating: The Idrija Lace School is a recognized and valued institution among professional circles in Europe. It offers quality education for students and adults in lace-making, maintains and develops this rich treasury of knowledge, and consequently enhances the quality of the lace produced in Idrija. In the school, there's a showroom where visitors can see the remarkable pieces made by students of the school. There's also a small shop with items for purchase. |
Overall Rating: The history of Idrija's days as a mining town is apparent in the numerous sights in the town and its surroundings. One such very interesting sight to visit, representing the former way of life of miners' families, is the 18th-century Miner's House, or Rudarska Hisa as it is called in Slovene. It stands in the Bazoviska street on a slope facing the town below, not far from Idrija's town centre. |
Overall Rating: The Rake water channel in Idrija was built at the end of the 16th century to support the mercury mine operations. Initially, the water channel was wooden, but in the second half of the 18th century it was enclosed with stone. Along the water channel, there's a two-and-a-half-kilometre-long nature learning path unveiling Idrija's treasures of geology, flora and cultural history.. |
The Idrija Municipal Apiary stands behind the Church of the Holy Trinity, only a short walk from the center of Idrija. This highly crafted and extremely well executed and painted apiary is one of the most important structures of Slovene beekeeping. It was built in 1925 and completely renovated in 2013. |
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Overall Rating: Wild Lake or Divje Jezero as it is called in Slovene is a very unique and mysterious karstic lake located in Idrijski Log near the town of Idrija in western Slovenia. Since 1967, the lake has been protected as a natural monument of national significance of Slovenia. In 1972, the area of the lake was arranged into the first Slovenian outdoor museum in nature. In 1997 divers descended to 170 meters (558 feet), yet did not reach the bottom. |
| The accommodation options in Idrija can be divided into six main categories: hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, apartments, farm stays and hostels. |
There are two hotels in the Idrija area. We have reviewed and rated them both, so, if you're planning to visit Idrija and would like to stay in a hotel, read on and find out which one best suits your needs. |
Guest houses are a very popular form of lodging in Slovenia and have been in use for many decades. We stayed at four different guesthouses in the Idrija area and would like to recommend two of them. |
If you like complete privacy, comfort, want to be able to cook your favourite meals, or just look for a cheaper and better alternative to hotels, then Idrija apartments are meant for you. They usually have nice modern furniture and all the necessary equipment, including a well equipped kitchen and a modern bathroom. |
Bed and breakfasts are an inexpensive and relaxing alternative to a classic hotel for your stay, but currently we can recommend only one B&B in Idrija. |
Idrija is a small town and only has one hostel. Find out if it suits your needs. |
Farm stays are a great way of bringing your family together and experiencing another way of living. Find out which farm stay in the Idrija area we recommend! |