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IDRIJA UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK
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Idrija UNESCO Global Geopark
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The project of establishing the Idrija Geopark began in 2008 through a mutual agreement of the Idrija Mercury Mine and the Municipality of Idrija. A working committee was established, which prepared an expert geological basis for the establishment of a geopark, as well as the content of thematic trails and a series of promotional, educational, and collaborative activities with exterior contractors. In 2010, the Municipality of Idrija used a local decree to establish a new public institution – the Idrija Heritage Centre (IHC). The decree was later amended with an addendum to include the establishment of the Idrija Geopark and its activity after its establishment. In 2018, the Idrija Heritage Center was renamed into the Idrija Tourism Board, which continues the coordination of the Idrija Geopark.
The Idrija Tourism Board is the leading tourism organization in the Municipality of Idrija. Its main purpose is the development and coordination of tourism in the Municipality of Idrija, following the Strategy for the Development of Tourism in the Municipality of Idrija 2019–2023. The Strategy outlines a hierarchy of tourist products, with the Idrija Mercury Mine as the primary tourist product and the Idrija Geopark as a second-level product as part of a series of four principal pillars of Idrija tourism: Mercury Heritage – UNESCO World Heritage, Idrija Lace – UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Idrija žlikrofi, and Idrija Geopark – UNESCO Global Geopark. The Idrija Geopark not only strives for constant improvements to its activities, but also collaborates closely with the other three pillars of Idrija tourism.
The Idrija Tourism Board manages the visual identity of Idrija as a tourist destination, promotional materials and its promotional fund. It conducts marketing, manages the main online destination portal www.visit-idrija.si and the Idrija Geopark website, as well as relevant social networks. It organizes festivals and events, manages the Idrija visitor’s center, the collective Idrija Geopark trademark “Idrija – Selected”, and the “Written in Rocks” exhibit. In 2020, the Idrija Tourism Board took over the management of the Upper Idrijca Landscape Park.
National Forum on Global Geoparks in Slovenia
The forum is an informal association of geoparks which have at least a part of their territory (or their partners’ territory) situated in the Republic of Slovenia. The main objectives of the forum are the following: coordination of Slovene geoparks; assistance with the establishment of geoparks in Slovenia and their inclusion in international geopark networks; collaboration with the European (EGN) and Global (GGN) Geopark Networks; international collaboration; fostering collaboration in attaining financial support for common projects aimed at geopark development; preparation of reports, etc.
The National Forum of Global Geoparks of Slovenia includes: the Slovene National UNESCO Commission, the Slovene Geological Institute, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, the Public Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the national representative of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the National Committee of the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP) as well as the Karavanke/Karawanken Geopark and the Idrija Geopark.
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