Jurij Vega High School Idrija, Študentovska ulica 16, SI-5280 Idrija
Ownership
Public
Owner
Republic of Slovenia
Local / Original ID Number
EŠD 4829
Type of Object
Built heritage - other, Knowledge, social care
Description
Short description
The Idrija Secondary School of Natural Sciences is monumental building with raised ground floor and two storeys. The building consists of a main part and two side wings. The entrance with the lobby and the staircase is located axially to the building. The most representative is the southern facade with defined entrance. It is famous for its sumptuous gateway, two classical pilasters, architrave and arch with the bust of Jurij Vega. The windows on the main external walls are framed with plastered frames and have strong rims above them and shelves with cornices under them. Side external walls are split on three lines. The central part is in rustic design up to the first floor, the two side parts are neutral and square. Horizontally, the building is divided into three lanes. The ground floor is separated from the other two with a strong rim. U-shaped staircase lead to facility’s garden, which was initially organised as a park. In the lobby of the high school, there are sgraffiti of Nande Rupnik, Magna paens rerum (Nature, the great mother of things) and of Rudi Skočir, Alma mater (Nourishing Mother).
Measures
Area 875 m2, height 19,3 m.
Materials
Brick, concrete, wood, stone.
Dating
1903
Author / Producer
Municipality of Idrija
Picture attachments
Original use
The first Slovenian Secondary School of Natural Sciences was a high school with instruction in Slovenian language. The placement of a high school in Idrija, the Municipal Secondary School of Natural Sciences (in 1901), has been of the utmost importance for the town. It represent the ability to look ahead and the unbroken spirit of Idrija miners in the battle for a better quality of life for future generations. The building was constructed according to the plans of the architect Karl Holinski and with the help of the then Mayor of Idrija, Dragotin Lapajne. During the First World War the Secondary School of Natural Sciences was temporarily transformed into a military hospital. After the Italian occupation of the Julian March, the Idrija Secondary School of Natural Sciences remained the only Slovenian high school under Italian authority right up to 1926, when the Fascist authorities violently shut it down. From its opening to its abolishment, the Secondary School of Natural Sciences altogether has hosted over 1,000 students from all Slovenian lands of that time. The school successfully educated over 400 graduates and therefore raised a significant part of the Slovenian intellectuals of the time. After World War II, the technical school was initially in the building, and later the Lower Gymnasium. In 1952, the latter became the Gymnasium, the Idrija Jurij Vega High School (first graduates in 1956). The memorial plaque for the gymnasium students, who died in the National Liberation War, was discovered in the lobby in 1961.
Present use
The building of the Idrija Secondary School of Natural Sciences is being preserved, secured and presented as an important monument of Idrija mining heritage with exceptional universal values. The lively high school beat of the Jurij Vega High School denotes the building for approximately half of century. Especially in the last few years, the high school has opened its door to the broader European area. The gymnasium and other high school programmes (engineering technicians, mechatronics engineer) in the last fifty years (first graduation in 1965) educated in total almost 5,000 students. The high school also has programmes for the third life period. It is also the carrier of the first national vocational qualification for bobbin lacemaking, which is implemented by the Idrija Lacemaking School, within the Idrija Jurij Vega High School.
Original location
2357 Idrija – town, lot no. 1247/3 (including buildings no. 343 and 1973).
Present location
No changes.
STATE OF CONSERVATION
History of conservation:
1991: Nande Rupnik and Rudi Skočir’s production of the sgraffiti;
2006 - 2008: the full renovation of the school building. In accordance with the conservation plan, the building got its original exterior appearance. The inscription in the heart of the building, “MESTNA REALKA” (Municipal Secondary School of the Natural Sciences), which was completely faded in the past, was accentuated again. The restoration works on the monument were performed by the restorers of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the Nova Gorica unit, Andrej Jazbec and Anton Naglost.
Present state
good
Necessary activities:
Performing regular maintenance services by the programme, including status control and preservation, security and presentation of the heritage.
DOCUMENTATION
Addresses / collections / links etc. where further in-depth information is accessible:
- The Cultural Heritage Register of the Republic of Slovenia;
- Lutman, Marjana. Pregled in preiskave nosilne konstrukcije ter analiza nosilnosti in potresne odpornosti objekta Gimnazija v Idriji. Elaborat. Ljubljana, 1999.
- Kavčič, Janez. Prva slovenska realka: Idrija 1901-1926. Idrija, 1987;
- Kavčič, Janez. Šolske tradicije in prva slovenska realka v Idriji. Celje, 1990.