Things to do
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Anthony's Shaft
Guided tours enter the old mercury mine through this shaft, dating from 1500, and lead through lit tunnels and an underground chapel. Visitors wear jackets and helmets supplied at the entrance, and the tour lasts around an hour and a half with a steady temperature underground. Tours run at set times, so booking ahead is sensible in summer.
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Franja Partisan Hospital
Tucked into the narrow Pasica gorge near Cerkno, about half an hour from Idrija, wooden huts hidden against the rock served as a secret hospital for wounded partisans in the Second World War. The buildings were restored after a flood in 2007. A path with bridges leads in from the car park, and the site opens in the warmer months.
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Gewerkenegg Castle
Built for the mine administration, the white castle above the town centre houses the Idrija Municipal Museum, with its arcaded courtyard and exhibitions on mercury, mining and bobbin lace. The collection explains how the metal was extracted and what it did to the miners. Allow an hour or two, and pair it with the mine tour the same day.
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Kamšt
A wooden water wheel more than 13 metres across stands in its own building by the Idrijca, once used to pump water out of the mine. It worked for well over a century and is among the largest of its kind in Europe. It sits on the walking route along the Rake water channel, an easy path from the town.
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Wild Lake
South of the town, a small green lake sits at the foot of a sheer cliff, fed from below by a karst spring whose flooded cave divers have followed to great depth. After heavy rain the water wells up and spills into the short Jezernica stream. A nature trail from Idrija reaches it in under an hour on foot.