The mine is a ‘living museum’, allowing you to get a feel for the working conditions of mercury miners in Idrija. The entrance is the Anthony Shaft, built in 1500, which led to the first mine: 1.5km long, 600m wide and 400m deep. The tour covers about 1200m and lasts 1½ hours; it begins in the ‘call room’ of an 18th-century building where miners were selected each morning and assigned their duties.
You'll be supplied overcoats and helmets; the temperature in the mine is around 13°C (55°F). There are also exhibitions in the old smelting plant.
For more on the town's mercury heritage, pick up the free and informative Idrija: A Heritage of Mercury from the TIC.
