Marked in more than 70 towns around Europe and featuring more than 140 free events, European Culture Heritage Days are meant to demonstrate how cultural heritage connects generations.

The honour of launching the week-long festival in Slovenia fell this year to Idrija, known for its UNECSCO-protected mercury mine.

More than 400 participants will show how diverse, rich and above all alive the town's heritage is, Idrija Mayor Bojan Sever told the press on Monday.

"I am happy that we decided to make Idrija the host of the opening event, but even we were surprised by the number of people who are ready to participate in organising it," he said.

The first day of the European Culture Heritage Days in Slovenia will end at Gewerkenegg Castle late in the afternoon with the opening of a new exhibition portraying Idrija as an important centre of natural sciences.