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.Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
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.
At the heart of the Almadén site is a Mining Park, where the public can go underground. There are also buildings relating to the town's mining history, including Retamar Castle, the San Rafael Mining Hospital (now an archive), and eighteenth-century dwellings which form a hexagonal bullring.
The site in Idrija notably features mercury stores and infrastructure, as well as miners’ living quarters, and a miners’ theatre.
Nomination process
Idrija begun the process to inscribe the mercury heritage to the UNESCO's heritage list in 2006.Občina Idrija - Dediščina živega srebra 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.Rudnik živega srebra Idrija zapisan na Unescov seznam :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija
List of registered monuments
The elements of the "Mercury Heritage" are the following:Fuente: Unesco
Almadén Code Name Location Protection zone Coordinates1313rev-001 Old town of Almadén Almadén 48.98 ha 1313rev-002 Buildings of the Castle's Mine Almadén 0,22 ha 1313rev-003 Royal Prison of forced labor Almadén 0.11 ha 1313rev-004 Hospital Real de San Rafael (children) Almadén 0.10 ha 1313rev-005 Bullring Almadén 0.25 ha
Idrija Code Name Location Protection zone Coordinates1313rev-006 Old town of Idrija Idrija 47.33 ha 1313rev-007 Foundry Idrija 0.60 ha 1313rev-008 Kamšt pump with water channel and tank (Kobila) Idrija 1.61 ha 1313rev-009 Water tank Idrija 0.71 ha 1313rev-010 Idrija Lagoon Idrija 1.21 ha 1313rev-011 Putrih Reservoir on the Belca River Idrija 0.49 ha 1313rev-012 Brus Reservoir on the Belca River Idrija 2.49 ha
References
See also Almaden Quicksilver County Park