Museo Idrija Municipal Museum

Welcome to Gewerkenegg Castle!

The mining castle Gewerkenegg is one of the most important cultural monuments of Idrija, testifying to the power and greatness that the mercury mine used to possess. It was built at the beginning of 16th century and is now home to the Idrija Municipal Museum.

Today’s museum tour will take you through five thematically diverse exhibitions presenting the technological heritage of the mercury mine and local history. On first floor, the Five Centuries of the Mercury Mine and the Town of Idrija exhibition will offer insight into the secrets of the Idrija underground and the origins of the town. On the second floor, you will go through The Milestones of the 20th Century, Tracing Mercury: Idrija and Almadén, The Life and Work of Writer France Bevk, and The Idrija Lace, a History Written in Thread. The Nikolaj Pirnat Gallery hosts temporary exhibitions.

Other facilities operating under the Museum wing are the Cerkno Museum, the Franja Partisan Hospital, the Slovenija Partisan Printing Shop, the homestead of the writer France Bevk, the Idrija Miners’ House, the Idrija Kamšt, and the Technical Department of the Museum in the Francis’ Shaft. If you are interested in visiting any of these locations, ask for more information at the reception desk.