Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija World Heritage Site

Official name

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija | UNESCO

Country

Spain | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

38.7752° Lat, -4.8388° Lon | Map

Code

1313

Time Zone

Europe/Madrid (CET, +0100)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2012. The property includes the mining sites of Almadén (Spain), where mercury (quicksilver) has been extracted since antiquity, and Idrija (Slovenia), where mercury was first found in AD1490. The Spanish property includes buildings relating to its mining history, including Retamar Castle, religious buildings and traditional dwellings. The site in Idrija notably features mercury stores and infrastructure, as well as miners’ living quarters, and a miners’ theatre. The sites bear testimony to the intercontinental trade in mercury which generated important exchanges between Europe and America over the centuries. Together they represent the two largest mercury mines in the world, operational until recent times.