⚒️ Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
Mercury mining heritage spanning Spain and Slovenia
📋 Fast Facts
- Serial UNESCO World Heritage property inscribed in 2012
- Comprises mercury mining complexes at Almadén, Spain and Idrija, Slovenia—two of the world's largest mercury mines
- Mercury extraction at Almadén dates to antiquity; Idrija deposit discovered circa 1490
- Critical to global silver and gold extraction in the Americas from the 16th century onwards via amalgamation process
The Heritage of Mercury property represents a transnational serial site linking two major mercury mining complexes that shaped ...