In Idrija, Slovenia, on Friday, October 6, 2023, as part of the European Heritage Days, there will be three craft workshops, an autumn picnic, and a tour of the Giser mining house. The event is organized in collaboration with the Spodnja Idrija Elementary School.
Chestnuts and a woodworking workshop at the Giser miners’ house.
On Friday afternoon, we will be spending time at the Idrija miners’ house Giser, where we are organizing an Open Day and a craft workshop. The residential building, which was abandoned until recently and is one of the last authentically preserved examples of a traditional Idrija miners’ house, hides many special features that are waiting to be explored.
At the event, we will present the novelties that we have implemented in 2023 to preserve the building and conduct a craft workshop under the mentorship of Vida Prezelj, a master of woodworking. We will continue with an autumn picnic, and inside the building, there will be an overview exhibition about the state of miners’ houses in Idrija and a collection of tools found in the house, which testifies to the versatile manual skills of Idrija miners and their families.
Program at the event
15:00 – 17:00 / Crafts Workshop
We will start with a handicraft workshop where we will create simple wooden products. The crafts workshop will be led by Vid Prezelj, a master of woodworking crafts who creates various items from wood, particularly known for his wooden masks – larfas, which adorn the characters of the Cerkljanska Laufarija procession. You will learn the basics of woodworking firsthand and create a simple wooden pendant. Bring along an Olfa knife and a lot of creative enthusiasm.
The workshop is free of charge, but the number of seats is limited. Applications are collected via email at info@id20.si or by phone at 031 348 468.
17.00 – 19.00 / Tour of the interior of the house and autumn picnic.
After the workshop, we will continue with an autumn picnic and a tour of a temporary exhibition about the state of mining houses in Idrija and a rich collection of tools from the Giser miners’ house.
A Gathering at the Spinning Wheel and Spindle in Spodnja Idrija
In the morning, you can join us at the Spodnja Idrija Elementary School for a workshop on spinning sheep's wool with Sonja Mlakar and a pottery workshop with Bahor Pottery. The workshops will take place between 10:00 and 11:30.
Sonja Mlakar is a member of the handicraft section of the Association of Small Livestock Breeders Idrija-Cerkno, which is dedicated to preserving traditional handicraft skills associated with the use of sheep's wool. At the workshop, she will present the process of wool production and processing.
At the Lončarstvo Bahor pottery in Kanji Dol, they primarily focus on the development and promotion of pottery in culture and art. At the workshop, they will demonstrate the process of making šajblčki, hand-made clay lanterns that traditionally decorate Spodnja Idrija on festive days, at Easter and May 1st.
We are holding an Open Day as part of the European Heritage Days 2023 and with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning. The workshop is being held as part of the Erasmus+ project Common Good / Skupno dobro. The event has also been supported by the European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica – Gorica 2025.