Idrija: Revitalise abandoned spaces

The town of Idrija is surrounded by forests, but there are only few green spaces or parks in the town centre. The municipality used its participation in the project ‘Climate Action in Alpine Towns’ to bring the nature back into the centre. The focus was on a vacant mine site of the Kajzer Park. A working group examined the condition for this heritage protected area and developed guidelines and ideas for the revitalisation of the site. Kajzer Park is to become a centre that promotes creativity and enables active togetherness. Not only for the people from Idrija, but also for the surrounding communities.

A central concern was the involvement of the population. There were various workshops with experts from architecture, biology, design and landscape architecture. Students from the universities of Ljubljana and Zagreb were also actively involved. Concerts and exhibitions in Kajzer Park made the place accessible and tangible. As part of the project, the city also developed a ‘green handbook’ that will be used as a basis for further urban development projects.

Photos: Marko Čuk