At Ulica zmage 12, the Idrija miners’ house Giser stands on a locally well-known hill between Skirca and Jurčkova grapa. The precise year this apartment building was built is not known; based on preserved sources and literature, however, we can establish that it has at least two centuries of history.
Typical for the town of Idrija, the Idrija Miners’ house is a unique architecture that reached the height of its popularity in the “century of the miners’ house” spanning from 1776 and 1876. In contrast to later miners’ apartments blocks, this type of multifamily building was privately owned by the workers: the first floor was occupied by the owner’s family while the upper floors were being rented.
In 2018, ID20’s team has recorded 102 miners’ houses in Idrija. As they have been heavily modified, only 18 have retained more than five traditional characteristics. Only 8 of those are still inhabited. Today, a half of the 102 houses are empty. In a time when Idrija and its surroundings are facing a dire lack of apartments, this is a problem worth discussing.
The Giser House itself dates to the early 19th century, when a modest miners’ dwelling was erected, and later expanded under different working-class landlords. The building has changed over the years, as each generation and historical period has given it its own unique character. The house is partly dug in and leaning into the hill with a stone base, above which a wooden superstructure rises up. The gabled roof, which was probably originally covered with shingles, is now covered with a newer concrete roofing, and the original subdued whiteness of a typical mining house is revealed under the ochre layers of the present plaster, harmoniously complemented by symmetrical rows of small double-casement windows. The mining character of the building is complemented by the classic attributes of podiček, a small raised platform in front of the main entrance at the side of the building, and the gank, a covered external corridor down which flowering roses still climb from the ornamental garden below.
Inside, the Giser House also reflects traditional living patterns. It reveals a typical arrangement of rooms, with a steep staircase to the first floor, the kitchen, and the main room – hiša with an accompanying small chamber – arranged around the doorway. The typical layout is repeated on the first floor in a slightly less spacious form. The house furnishings suggest a gradual development of the house inventory, following the general evolution of living standards. From the simpler original 19th-century chests of drawers and trunks to the more modern veneered furniture of the post-World War II era, the furniture in the Giser House tells the story of two centuries of continuous living in this building.
Many generations of miners’ families called the Giser House their home and left an indelible mark on the building. The house at Ulica zmage 12 was originally owned by the Bogataj (Wogathey) family. Ownership then passed to the Brus family, who occupied the house with four family members around 1880. The Zupančič, Mihevc and Peljhan families succeeded them. The house was occupied by a maximum of 10 people at a time, which was a relatively bearable number for the residential reality of Idrija. From the first years of the 20th century onwards, the house was entirely owned by the Zupančič family, with whom the present house name is also connected.
The story of the unusual name Giser, also Gisar, comes from the German word Gießer, meaning foundryman, and refers to the occupation of the first house-keeper of the Zupančič family, who immigrated to Idrija from Dvor near Žužemberk before 1890. The Auersperg family had a foundry here until 1891. Zupančič’s foundry profession was apparently representative enough to give birth to a peculiar house name, which has survived to this day. The house remained in the ownership of the Zupančič family for another two generations, with all the male householders professionally connected to the mine right up to the last. In 2003, with the death of the last occupant, the mining house reached the end of its first, mining phase.
After the last owner, Franz’s grandson Franc Zupančič passed in 2003, the house was left abandoned and untouched. It was not until 2021 that the ID20 team bought the house and with the help of international volunteers started to uncover its secrets and help her open a new chapter in her centuries-old existence.
Revitalisation of Giser House was never just about the brick-and-mortar – cultural heritage lives on when the stories, values and histories of “common people” are interpreted and passed on. The ID20 Institute wants to prevent the demise of another mining house, so intimately linked to the former mining town. Through its projects and activities, it is educating future generations about the importance of using natural materials in construction and the need for improvements in the built heritage and the built environment. For example, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, international volunteers participated in the restoration of the Giser House in Idrija. They worked on various tasks, including repairing the building, landscaping the surrounding area, and learning about the town's mining history. These efforts contributed to the preservation of this important historical landmark.
In 2024, ID20 launched the “O, sole mio” gastronomic-theatre experience, and cold empty rooms were filled with joy, laughter, music and a smell of 100-year old dishes.