Topilnica Hg Smelting Plant, Slovenian Littoral Region, Slovenia
4.5 (12 reviews) Friday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Ranking #5 in Idrija Speciality Museums • Historic Sites
Recommend :)
At the exhibition From Ore to Mercury Drops you will learn about a unique liquid metal and trace the development of smelting furnaces through five centuries. Your tour will end with a walk along the path of ore, where you will view the entire procedure of mercury extraction. Suitable for: individuals, families, groups, school groups, and vulnerable groups. Tour duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes. Tours are conducted in two languages: SLO • ENG Audio guide: SLO • ENG • GER • ITA • FRA • CRO • ESP • NED • POL • CZE • RUS • HUN • HEB
Address
Arkova ulica 50, Idrija 5280 Slovenia
Mobile
Website
http://www.cudhg-idrija.si
Working hours
Monday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Friday, May 10, 2024, 18:15
User Ratings
4.5 based on (12 reviews)
Reviews
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5KemikOjstra 5:00 PM Apr 21, 2018
Chemist's dream
I highly recommend visiting this sight to all chemists, technicians, environmental engineers and all who love chemistry, natural and technical sciences or mercury as a useful and very unusual chemical element. In one room you can find a very interactive exhibition of chemical-physical properties and use of mercury where many interesting videos (many of them were filmed in a lab, so you can see videos from some scientific experiments) and some technical devices (like cathode ray tube, X-ray tube, thermometers, manometers and mercury hour) can be seen. In the other room, a process of burning of cinnabarite ore (in order to obtain elemental mercury in liquid state) is very well explained and there are descriptions of furnace types during the years (through the timeline), with some pictures of smelters with their traditional equipment as well. After visiting this museum, one can realize how historically important was mercury (one tip: also owing to the process of amalgamation - some European mercury mines and also American mercury mines, like New Idria and New Almaden in the USA, played important role in the California Gold Rush), what is its environmental impact and how unusual this element really is. Because Idrija Mercury Mine was the second largest producer of the cinnabarite ore in the world and there are not many museums, dedicated to mercury, visiting Topilnica Hg (Mercury smeltery) is surely a unique and unforgettable experience for all people who love science.
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5Jeff K 5:00 PM Sep 6, 2021
Worthwhile Stop
My wife and I visited here after touring the mercury mine. The mine tour is a little better but I recommend seeing both if you have time. We toured the facility on our own for about 30-40 minutes. There is also a 15 minute tour that you can take. The woman at the front desk was very helpful. Also, you can buy a combination ticket for the smelter and the mine. They are about 5 minutes apart by car.
