Idrija Mercury Smelter

Step into the restored classification plant and trace mercury’s journey “from ore to droplet.” Interactive halls reveal how cinnabar arrived from Anthony’s Shaft, was crushed, screened and roasted until shimmering quicksilver flowed. A new visitor centre uses audio‑visual wizardry to explain mercury’s unique properties, its global uses and its environmental story. Once abandoned, the smelter—core of a UNESCO World‑Heritage landscape—now beats again as a showcase of science, industry and human ingenuity.