Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
UNESCO World Heritage Site
	Antonijev rov, mine entrance in Idrija
Location	Almadén, Province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain; Idrija, Municipality of Idrija, Gorizia Statistical Region, Slovenia;
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv)
Reference	1313rev
Inscription	2012 (36th session)
Area	104.1 ha (257 acres)
Coordinates	38°46′31″N 4°50′20″W
	Almadén Idrija Almadén and Idrija in Europe

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija is a joint UNESCO World Heritage site in Almadén, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and Idrija, Slovenia. The property encompasses two mercury mining sites. In Almadén mercury has been extracted since Antiquity, while in Idrija it was first found in 1490.[1]

The sites bear testimony to the intercontinental trade in mercury which generated important exchanges between Europe and America over the centuries. The two sites represent the two largest mercury mines in the world and were operational until recent times. Mercury played an important role in extracting gold and silver from ores, dug in American mines. In addition, both sites illustrate the various industrial, territorial, urban and social elements of a specific sociotechnical system in the mining and metal production industries.[1]

At the heart of the Almadén site is a Mining Park, where the public can go underground.[2] There are also buildings relating to the town's mining history, including Retamar Castle,[3] the San Rafael Mining Hospital (now an archive), and eighteenth-century dwellings which form a hexagonal bullring.[4]

The site in Idrija notably features mercury stores and infrastructure, as well as miners’ living quarters, and a miners’ theatre.

Nomination process

Interior of one of the Almadén's mines

Idrija begun the process to inscribe the mercury heritage to the UNESCO's heritage list in 2006.[5] Initially, the nomination was made together with Huancavelica mercury mine in Peru, in relation to the intercontinental route Camino Real. In the second stage, a nomination focused on mercury heritage in relation to silver mining, together with San Luis Potosí mine in Mexico - however, the nomination did not gather sufficient support. The third, successful stage of the nomination focused on mercury mining in relation to technological and industrial processes that influenced the economical and cultural development of the two regions.[6]

List of registered monuments

Furnace of Bustamante of the mines of Almadén.

Headframe of the mines of Almadén.

Building of the pump in Idrija.

The elements of the "Mercury Heritage" are the following:[7]

Almadén

Code	Name	Location	Protection zone	Coordinates
1313rev-001	Old town of Almadén	Almadén	48.98 ha	38.775278°N 4.843611°W / 38.775278; -4.843611 (Almadén - Vieille ville)
1313rev-002	Buildings of the Castle's Mine	Almadén	0,22 ha	38.772500°N 4.839722°W / 38.772500; -4.839722
1313rev-003	Royal Prison of forced labor	Almadén	0.11 ha	38.771806°N 4.834167°W / 38.771806; -4.834167 (Royal Forced Labour Gaol)
1313rev-004	Hospital Real de San Rafael (children)	Almadén	0.10 ha	38.772778°N 4.831389°W / 38.772778; -4.831389
1313rev-005	Bullring	Almadén	0.25 ha	38.775091°N 4.829682°W / 38.775091; -4.829682 (Bullring)

Idrija

Code	Name	Location	Protection zone	Coordinates
1313rev-006	Old town of Idrija	Idrija	47.33 ha	46.000612°N 14.022061°E / 46.000612; 14.022061 (Vieille ville d'Idrija)
1313rev-007	Foundry	Idrija	0.60 ha	46.006944°N 14.031111°E / 46.006944; 14.031111 (Idrija – Smelting Plant)
1313rev-008	Kamšt pump with water channel and tank (Kobila)	Idrija	1.61 ha	45.998889°N 14.030833°E / 45.998889; 14.030833
1313rev-009	Water tank	Idrija	0.71 ha	46.017778°N 13.939444°E / 46.017778; 13.939444
1313rev-010	Idrija Lagoon	Idrija	1.21 ha	46.002778°N 13.920000°E / 46.002778; 13.920000 (Vojsko – Idrijca Water Barrier)
1313rev-011	Putrih Reservoir on the Belca River	Idrija	0.49 ha	45.976111°N 13.933611°E / 45.976111; 13.933611
1313rev-012	Brus Reservoir on the Belca River	Idrija	2.49 ha	45.970278°N 13.952222°E / 45.970278; 13.952222

References

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
"Mining Park". Tourist Office of Rios EVA Mancomunidad. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
"Retamar Castle". Tourist Office of Rios EVA Mancomunidad. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
"Bullring". Tourist office of Rios EVA Mancomunidad. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
Občina Idrija - Dediščina živega srebra Archived 2012-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
Rudnik živega srebra Idrija zapisan na Unescov seznam :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija
Fuente: Unesco

World Heritage Sites in Slovenia
See also List of World Heritage Sites in Slovenia.
Cultural	Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps¹ Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija²
Natural	Škocjan Caves Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe³
¹ with Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland ² with Spain ³ with Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Ukraine

World Heritage Sites in Spain
For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Spain.
North West	Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain¹ Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias Roman walls of Lugo Route of Santiago de Compostela¹ Santiago de Compostela Tower of Hercules	Flag of Spain
North East	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests⁵ Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain¹ Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon Pirineos - Monte Perdido² Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin¹ Route of Santiago de Compostela¹ San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries Vizcaya Bridge
Community of Madrid	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests⁵ Aranjuez Cultural Landscape El Escorial University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
Centre	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests⁵ Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida Archaeological Site of Atapuerca Ávila with its Extra-mural Churches Burgos Cathedral Cáceres Cuenca Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija³ Las Médulas Monastery of Santa María of Guadalupe Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin¹ Route of Santiago de Compostela¹ Salamanca Segovia and its Aqueduct Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde⁴ Toledo
East	Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Tarragona Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí Ibiza (Biodiversity and Culture) Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona Palmeral of Elche Poblet Monastery Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin¹ Serra de Tramuntana Silk Exchange in Valencia Works of Antoni Gaudí
South	Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada Cathedral, Alcázar and General Archive of the Indies, Seville Dolmens Site of Antequera Doñana Historic Centre of Córdoba Medina Azahara Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin¹
Canary Islands	Garajonay Risco Caído San Cristóbal de La Laguna Teide National Park
¹ Shared with other region/s ² Shared with France ³ Shared with Slovenia ⁴ Shared with Portugal ⁵ Shared with other regions in Spain and other countries in Europe