Mots-clés
industrial heritage / mining towns / mines / mining equipment / legal protection / conservation of industrial heritage / protection of industrial heritage / enhancement / public administration / public awareness / cultural tourism / case studies / World Heritage / World Heritage Sites / theory of conservation / cultural administrations / conservation of historic sites / management / interpretation / presentation / musealization / education
Résumé en anglais
Idrija has managed to preserve the diverse and unique industrial and technical heritage of its 500-year-old mining history that tells the story of mercury, which was inscribed onUNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2012. Many mining facilities, machines, equipment and documents were preserved during the Idrija Mercury Mine’s closing down and liquidation process. One of the crucial parts of the mine that has not yet been renovated is the smelting plant, which is in danger of losing its protected properties due to its deteriorating state. The
area of the monument covers the cableway end-station, the building of the ore separation and crushing plant, conveyor belts, collection silo, rotary furnace, smoke chamber, smokepipelines and chimney, and the Špirek-Čermak furnace. The smelting plant represents the final phase of the mine’s development. Its renovation and renewal is a significant
challenge in terms of financing and expertise. In February 2014, the Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Centre (IMHMC), a public institution, took over the management of thesmelting plant area from the Idrija Mercury Mine, Ltd. – in liquidation. The IMHMC was founded pursuant to a decision of the Slovenian Government aimed at the comprehensive
and sustainable management and preservation of cultural heritage and natural values linked to the Idrija ore deposit. The IMHMC successfully applied to a call for proposals toco-finance the project ‘IDRIJA – SMELTING PLANT AREA OF THE IDRIJA MERCURY MINE – 1st PHASE OF RECONSTRUCTION’ under the EEA Financial Mechanism Programme 2009-2014 – B.3. Cultural Heritage, in the amount of EUR 2 million. Its project partners are the Idrija Municipal Museum and the Magma Geopark from Norway. The goal of the project is to preserve the endangered cultural monument and enrich it with new content, enhance its
modernity and attractiveness, revive its heritage with educational content, raise awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage, and enhance tourism opportunities in the area. The project was begun on 30 December 2014 and will be completed on 31 December 2016.This paper was presented during the 2nd International Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Legal Issues, organized in October 2015 by ICOMOS Slovenia with the support of the Council of Europe, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural heritage in Slovenia, the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and TICCIH Slovenia.