Building Bridges Between the Past and the Future in 2025

The year 2025 was an important milestone for Zavod ID20, marked by achievements that strengthened our work in the field of cultural heritage. Through diverse projects, events, and collaborations, we connected heritage with innovative approaches that engaged both the local community and the wider public.

Where Heritage Meets Flavour

In August, we once again organised the Idrija Žlikrofi Festival, bringing together locals, chefs, and visitors from near and far. Several thousand people attended this year’s edition, enjoying the rich culinary and cultural programme.

Industrial Culture in the Spotlight

In October, we held Betrib, the festival of industrial culture, as part of the official programme of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025. The festival combined music, film, industrial heritage tours, puppet theatre, and exhibitions, offering fresh interpretations of industrial culture.

A Second Life for Heritage

In cooperation with the Idrija Youth Centre, we opened the first Idrija Repair Café and set up a heritage furniture collection point as part of the project Drugo življenje (Second Life). We also organised three furniture restoration workshops, showing how heritage objects can be revived with the help of craftsmen and volunteers.

Giser House – Artist Residency

Together with IoDeposito and the University of Nova Gorica, we hosted artist Hugo Kabeya, who explored connections between the mining heritage of his native Congo and Idrija. His works were exhibited at the Hg Smelting Plant until the end of August.

GO! Pasta – Mobile Culinary Unit

Our GO! Pasta trailer appeared at various events across Slovenia, presenting the borderless cuisine of Goriška and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Highlights included the global Citroën 2CV meeting and the international festival Gusti di Frontiera in Gorizia and Nova Gorica.

We also organised a culinary experience in Gorizia, Italy for journalists and chefs, and a special presentation of filled pasta at Borderless Pasta.

A New Direction for Cultural Heritage

In 2025 we launched the long‑term project Smer: kulturna dediščina, running until 2027. Together with partners from across Slovenia — Dobra pot, KID Kibla, Sopotniki, and Muzej norosti — we are building a national network that connects local stories.
The project expands the Duri heritage platform with new content, good practices, and podcasts, and includes public consultations on how NGOs can deliver public cultural services.

In December, within the SECreTour project, we explored how digital nomads can revitalise rural Slovenia — from economic activity to cultural exchange and heritage revival.

In the Kitchen of the Miner’s House

We have also published a new book, V kuhinji rudarske hiše (In the Kitchen of the Miner’s House, featuring over 30 traditional recipes — from roasted pigeons and snails to classic dishes and Czech dumplings. The book is based on a handwritten 1922 recipe notebook from the Giser house, with most recipes adapted for modern tastes.

The year 2025 was a year of building bridges between past and future. Through festivals, projects, residencies, and publications, we demonstrated that heritage is not just a memory but a living organism that evolves, inspires, and connects people. Idrija has become a place where tradition meets innovation — from Idrija Žlikrofi Festival that attracted thousands to industrial culture presented in fresh, contemporary ways.