Easy hikes and walks around Žiri

Today, the castle is home to the Idrija City Museum. Its main exhibition spaces are dedicated to presenting the extraordinary half-millennium history of the city of Idrija and the local mercury mine, the second largest mine of this precious metal on the planet.

The mine compressor station also occupied an important place in the mine. Since 1914, various compressors have been used to produce compressed air for almost a hundred years to make work in the mine faster and safer.

The hut stands at the upper edge of a large clearing just below the peak of Hleviška planina, one of the peaks of the hilly area between Idrijca and Nikovo. The first outpost was set up by Idrija mountaineers in a house they bought from the forester Križič and opened on 20 July 1948. Hleviška planina is a popular excursion spot for the people of Idrijca and a point on the Slovenian Mountain Trail, so the hut soon became too small. In 1953, they began building a new, larger hut next to the old one; it was opened on 19 June 1955. The hut was later improved in many ways: in 1975, a water supply was installed, and in 1979 it was thoroughly renovated. Between 1985 and 1989, the Idrija Mountaineering Association enlarged and modernised the hut: an extension was built, the interior was modernised and the exterior of the building was arranged. The ceremonial opening of the enlarged and renovated hut was on June 18, 1989, during the celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Idrija Mountaineering Association. Another thorough renovation took place in the years 2000 - 2005, when it was the 50th anniversary of the hut's opening. A winter room with four beds has also been arranged. The stamps of the Slovenian Mountain Trail, the Idrija-Cerkljanje Mountain Trail and the Slovenian Touring Bike Trail are located in a box, hung under the canopy of the woodshed. View: A more extensive view is from the nearby grassy peak of Hleviška planina. To the east we can see Idrija nearby, above it the Gore, and to the right Medvedje Brdo; on the south side the Črnovrška plateau with Javornik and Špik rises above the narrow Bela valley; To the southwest and west we see the lonely farms in Čekovnik, a sprawling hilly settlement between Idrijca and Nikovo, and behind us the northern slopes of the Trnovski gozd with Golaki; to the northwest are the Vojskarska plateau and Jelenk, nearby is the valley along the Nikova stream, and ahead we see part of the sprawling settlement of Kanomlja; to the north we see Porezen, Črni vrh nad Novaki, Blegoš, Ratitovec, Bevkov vrh, Ermanovec, Stari vrh and Lubnik, and the horizon is closed by the Julian Alps with Triglav, the Karavanke and the Kamnik Alps.

Hleviška planina (also Hleviške planine) is a slightly overgrown, but still very scenic peak. From the peak, which is the home mountain of Idrija, there is a beautiful view towards Golaki, Javornik above Črni vrh, the Kamnik Alps, the Karavanke Mountains and, through the treetops, towards the Julian Alps.

The Idrija Kamšt is a pumping device in the Idrija mercury mine with the largest wooden wheel in Europe. Kamšt is the mining name for a water-powered pump for pumping cave water, typical of Idrija. The name comes from the German word "Kunst" (art). In the past, there were several Kamšts in Idrija, but only the largest of them has survived, which pumped water from the Jožef shaft. It was built in 1790, and the diameter of the wheel measures 13.6 meters. The wheel was connected to a 75-meter-long horizontal wooden frame. The horizontal movement was transmitted to a vertical wooden pole, which was connected to step-by-step piston pumps. In one minute, the Kamšt pumped up to 400 liters of water, first from a depth of 235 m, and later even from a depth of 283 m. Due to its efficient pumping, it operated until 1953, i.e. for 163 years. The driving water flowed through a special canal called Rake, 3.5 km long, which was built around 1600 for the supply of driving water. The power of the Kamšti was between 75 and 100 horsepower, and the wheel took 13 seconds to make one revolution.

"Construction of St. Anne's Church in Cerkno began in 1710 – the work was undertaken by the Baroque master builder and architect Gregor Maček from Poljane nad Škofja Loka. The church's model is based on the Ljubljana Cathedral without the dome, and the façade is reminiscent of the Ursuline Church in Ljubljana. In 1717, the Blessed Sacrament was moved from the then parish church of St. Jernej to the new parish church of St. Anne, and the first Holy Mass was held there. Construction itself was completed in 1774. The roof of the church was destroyed by bombing during World War II and was subsequently renovated in 1948. The last major renovation of the church took place during the post-earthquake renovation (2003–2004). The original paintings on the façade are said to be by the Italian painter Giulio Quaglia. They were repainted in 2003 by Maša Bersan Mašuk based on old photographs."

Nice views 👍🏻

A nice, easy cycling tour. We can start from the center of Idrija where there are parking lots for cars. To the hut there are mostly uphill climbs, but we can have a good snack. I recommend Idrijske žlikrofi 😉