Spectacular Slovakia - Central Slovakia
Spectacular Slovakia - Central Slovakia
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/Includes
pull-out map
slovakiatravel guide
SPECTACULAR SLOVAKIA
content
advisor
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/Bojnice Castle
The annual
coronation
ceremony
Hronsek
Štiavnické vrchy
Banská Bystrica
How to use this guide 2
Seven day itinerary 4
Slovakia’sTOP 10 5
History 6
Changing Slovakia 12
Personalities 16
UNESCO 20
Sight by sight
Bratislava 26
Bratislava Region 45
Western Slovakia 60
Central Slovakia 96
Northern Slovakia 118
Eastern Slovakia 166
Feature section
Castles 200
Slovak art 204
Folklore 209
Gothic architecture 212
Religion 214
Wooden churches 216
Jewish heritage 220
Spas 223
Wine 228
Beer & Spirits 232
Food 234
Agritourism 238
Animal watching 240
Horses 242
Cycling 245
Rafting 249
Hiking 252
Caves 256
Skiing 259
Aqua 262
Best deals 265
Extreme - heights 268
Speed, army 270
Out of the city 272
Luxury 274
Golf 276
Genealogy 280
War 282
Mines, technical
monuments 285
Industrial tours 288
Economy 290
Basics for tourists
Language
(inside front cover)
Souvenirs 294
Events 294
Travellers’ needs 300
Restaurants 302
Index
(inside back cover)
Pull-out map
(inside back cover)
CONTENTS
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/Live your own story of Slovakia
Top Slovak sights
32 travel
feature stories
Pull-out map
of Slovakia
Suggested
seven day
itinerary
Information and
contact details for more
than 450 tourist spots
Drawings of 28
historical monuments
3D aerial drawings of
7 major city centres
17 maps of city
centres and major
mountains
More than
1,000 photos
Calendar
of events
Selection of top
hotels and restaurants
ISBN 978-80-971719-0-2
The Slovak Spectator
Slovak news you can trust
since
1995
sPecTAcULAR sLOVAKiA
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/Central Slovakia
Central Slovakia, with its extensive forests and hilly terrain, is the least densely populated region of the country. Its
landscape varies from the ruggedVeľká Fatra to the more tame NízkeTatry (LowTatras) in the north, through the
rangy hills and valleys of the Štiavnické vrchy around Banská Štiavnica, to the agricultural flatlands south of Levice.
Central Slovakia is home to the LowTatras and Muránska planina national parks as well as five protected natural
areas, Cerová vrchovina, the Poľana UNESCO biosphere reservation, Ponitrie, Štiavnické vrchy, and theVeľká Fatra
mountains. The hilly terrain is well suited for ski resorts Donovaly or Jasná in the LowTatras.
Banská Bystrica Region has two main rivers flowing through it: the Hron, which is
the largest and originates nearTelgárt, flowing through the whole region
to join the Danube at Štúrovo; and the Ipeľ, which forms a natural
boundary with Hungary. The rich mining industry tradition, which
generated considerable wealth in a number of towns, is still visible
through architecture built from those profits. The most notable
mining cities are Banská Bystrica, Kremnica and Banská
Štiavnica, perhaps the most celebrated town in central
Slovakia. In addition to the mines, caves are among
the biggest attractions in the region with the huge
mountain cave, the Dead Bats’ Cave and
Bystrianska cave (both in the LowTatras)
or the Harmanecká Cave near Banská
Bystrica among the most popular. The
wooden church Hronsek, a UNESCO
site, is also in Central Slovakia.
1 Banská Bystrica W (city, castle) pg 98-99, 282, 207,
238, 243, 245, 267, 275, 280
2 Hronský Beňadik (monastery) pg 100, 201
3 Hodruša - Hámre (mine) pg 285
4 Sklené Teplice (spa) pg 100, 226, 227
5 Banská Štiavnica W (castle, mine, city - UNESCO site,
calvary) pg 101-104, 215, 285, 252, 272
6 Svätý Anton (manor house) pg 105, 238, 243
7 Dudince (spa) pg 225
8 Bzovík (castle - ruins) pg 202-203
9 Krupina (town, tower) pg 106
10 Zaježová (eco-village) pg 272
11 Zvolen (city, castle) pg 106-107, 221, 243, 283
12 Sliač (spa, golf, flights) pg 224, 269, 275, 277
13 Hronsek W (wooden church - UNESCO site)
pg 108, 216
14 Zvolenská Slatina (food) pg 238
15 Vígľaš (castle) pg 107
16 Slatinské Lazy (extreme - army) pg 270
17 Detva (folklore) pg 107, 210
18 Poľana (hiking) pg 108
19 Modrý Kameň (castle) pg 109
20 Dolná Strehová (aqua, manor house)
pg 263, 203
21 Lučenec (city) pg 109, 269, 271
22 Rapovce (aqua) pg 263
23 Fiľakovo (castle - ruins) pg 110
pages 101-104
page 114
page 109
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
99
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
13
19
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
96 introduction to central slovakia
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/24 Šomoška (castle - ruins) pg 110
25 Rimavská Sobota (town) pg 110
26 Číž (spa) pg 224
27 Chyžné (gothic church) pg 212
28 Šumiac (museum) pg 111, 243
29 Muránska planina (hiking, castle, horses)
pg 111, 242, 252
30 Tisovec (cog train) pg 286-287
31 Michalová (agritourism) pg 239
32 Čierny Balog W(railway) pg 112, 286-287, 266
33 Brezno (town) pg 112, 238, 245, 265
34 Bystrianska jaskyňa (cave) pg 112, 257, 256
35 Tále W (hiking, ski, golf) pg 113, 276-277
36 Jaskyňa mŕtvych netopierov W (cave)
pg 113, 257
37 Nízke Tatry W (hiking, ski)
pg 144-145, 252-254, 265
38 Brusno (spa) pg 224
39 Slovenská Ľupča (castle) pg 114
40 Kalište (WWII) pg 282
41 Donovaly W (ski, hiking, children) pg 114, 260,
239, 245, 271
42 Špania Dolina (church, hiking) pg 115, 253
43 Harmanecká jaskyňa (cave) pg 115
44 Skalka (ski) pg 261
45 Kremnica W (city, castle, mine) pg 115-117
pages 115-117
pages 98-99
page 111
page 112
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
introduction to central slovakia 97
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/1 Mestský hrad (Town Castle)
Námestie Štefana Moyzesa, Banská Bystrica
1a Kostol Nanebovzatia Panny Márie
(Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary)
Námestie Štefana Moyzesa 1, Banská Bystrica
+421 (0)48 412-4531
exterior views only Mon-Fri 12:00, 16:30 Sat
16:30 Sun 7:00, 8:30, 11:00, 16:30
1b Matejov dom (House of Matej)
Námestie Štefana Moyzesa 20, Banská Bystrica
+421 (0)48 412-5577
www.ssmuzeum.sk Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00 Sat-Sun
14:00-18:00 Tue-Fri 9:00-17:00 Sat-Sun 13:00-
17:00 €2.5 WC
1c Kostol sv. Kríža (Church of the Holy Cross)
Námestie Štefana Moyzesa
+421 (0)48 412-4531 exterior views only
Mon-Sat 6:30 Sun 9:45
1d Stará radnica - Pretórium (Old Town Hall)
Námestie Štefana Moyzesa 25, Banská Bystrica
+421 (0)48 470-1613
www.ssgbb.sk Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00 Sat-Sun
10:00-16:00 €2 WC
1e Barbakan (Barbican)
Námestie Štefana Moyzesa 26, Banská Bystrica
www.bystrickybarbakan.sk WC
Mon-Fri 12:00, 16:30 Sat 16:30 Sun 7:00
TheTown Castle was once a church
that was protected by fortifications
and a moat. At one time Banská
Bystrica was a prosperous mining
town, and the castle was built
to protect the income from
precious metal mining. The
castle was not built on a hill
like most castles but was
incorporated into the centre
of the city. The castle
was constructed
around the Church
of the Assumption
of the Virgin Mary
in the 15th
century.
Its fortifications
were extended
several times and new
structures were added.
Only about a quarter of
the fortification walls have
survived the rigors of time
and battle, but there are many
interesting nearby sites, including:
the gothic House of Matej from
1479; the Slovak Church, also
called the Church of the Holy
Cross, from the late 15th
century;
the Renaissance OldTown Hall,
called Praetorium; and the entrance
gate with an impressive tower
(called the Barbican) from 1512.
Today the OldTown Hall houses
exhibitions of the Stredoslovenská
galéria (Central Slovak Gallery)
and the House of Matej hosts a
permanent exhibition about the
history of the city prepared by the
Stredoslovenské múzeum (Central
Slovak Museum). In the Barbican
there is a restaurant and a café.
The oldest part of the town
castle is the Catholic Church
of the Assumption of the
Virgin Mary. It was built by
Germans in the 13th
century
in a late romanesque style
and reconstructed in
gothic in the 14th
century. In the
15th
century it was
fortified. Initially
a cemetery
surrounded
the grounds,
then later
a romanesque charnel
house, which survived
into the 19th
century.
The main altar, the work of
Master Paul of Levoča, was
destroyed in a fire in 1761 and later
replaced by a baroque piece. An
altar dedicated to St Barbara, from
Master Paul’s workshop, completed
in 1509, has been preserved.
The frescoes of the saints and the
original 1770 baroque vault as well
as a late gothic sculpture of Christ
on the Mount of Olives from the
1 Banská Bystrica W
map E 3 210 km / 131 miles (117 min) NE of Bratislava 80,003 Námestie SNP 1, Banská Bystrica
+421 (0)48 415-5085; +421 (0)907 846-555 www.banskabystrica.sk 1.5 km / 0.9 mile E of centre
May: United Europe Jazz Festival; July: Outbreak Europe (Hip-Hop Festival); September: B. Bystrica Town
Days; October: Bábkarská Bystrica (festival of puppet theatre); December: Christmas market
The City under the Urpín mountain, as Slovaks refer to Banská Bystrica, was once
along with Banská Štiavnica and Kremnica, one of the three wealthiest mining
towns in central Slovakia. The history of the city is similar to that of other
mining towns which were settled by German colonists. The first
written mention of the town also relates to mining. In 1255
Hungarian King Béla IV granted a deed giving German
settlers the right to mine gold, silver and other metals. The
immense wealth arising from mining is still reflected in the
architecture of the city, most notably in the town castle, the Church
of the Assumption of theVirgin Mary, the old town hall, the remaining vestiges
of the fortifications, and the main square. The square is flanked by gothic and
Renaissance burgher houses and in its upper section, the leaning clock tower and the
Marian column. Because of its unique architecture it was declared a preserved urban
reserve in 1955, the first town so designated in Slovakia.
The town played a significant role in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP), when the armed resistance
against the Nazi occupation ignited here on August 29, 1944. The SNP Museum, documenting the events of
anti-fascist revolt, is also located in Banská Bystrica. Banská Bystrica is the capital of Banská Bystrica Region, and
is the site of the Matej Bel University. Many factories and a rich cultural life continue to make Banská Bystrica lively and
interesting. The city is also known for its brewery and beer named Urpiner.
98 central slovakia - banská bystrica
Old Town Hall
Barbakan
1d
1e
Altar dedicated
to St Barbara
HouseofMatejandChurchoftheHolyCross
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/early 16th
century are worth seeing.
The church continues to offer
masses on a regular basis.
2 Hodinová veža (Clock Tower)
Námestie SNP 24, Banská Bystrica +421
(0)48 415-5085 Mon-Sun: 10:00-19:00 €1
At the top of the square there is the
yellow-fronted clock tower from
the 16th
century, which has two
clock-faces and a narrow balcony
beneath its black and gold domed
cap. As a result of the collapse of a
neighbouring building, the tower
leans to the left by 68 centimetres in
a rather disturbing manner. It offers
a panoramic view of the town and
surrounding valley. It was reopened
after reconstruction in August 2014.
3 Thurzov dom (Thurzo’s House)
Námestie SNP 4, Banská Bystrica +421
(0)48 412-5897 www.ssmuzeum.sk Tue-Fri
10:00-18:00 Sat-Sun 14:00-18:00 Tue-Fri 9:00-
17:00 Sat-Sun 13:00-17:00 €2.5 WC
Some of the burgher houses on
the square are decorated with
stucco and sgraffito façade. One
of the most beautiful houses,
the green-faced Thurzo\'s House,
contains the Stredoslovenské
múzeum (the Museum of Central
Slovakia). The house was the
former headquarters of the
Thurzo-Fugger copper
mining company from
1492 to 1540. The
exhibition on the
history of Banská
Bystrica includes
a large collection
of archaeological
exhibits, mediaeval
arms, coins, and
copies of historical
documents. A special
place is devoted to gothic art,
mining, guilds, and crafts.
4 MúzeumSlovenskéhonárodnéhopovstania
(Museum of the Slovak National Uprising)
Kapitulská 23, Banská Bystrica +421 (0)48
412-3258; +421 (0)48 245-1124; +421 (0)918
899-430 www.muzeumsnp.sk May-Sep:
Tue-Sun 9:00-18:00; Oct-Apr: Tue-Sun 9:00-16:00
€2 WC
The distinctive grey building,
designed by Dušan Kuzma and
completed in 1969, is divided into
two parts connected by a bridge. The
gap represents the Slovak National
Uprising (SNP) as a milestone in
the life of the Slovak nation during
World War II. Slovakia was a satellite
of Nazi Germany when on August
29, 1944 the SNP erupted into a
revolt against the Nazis. Despite the
uprising being suppressed in late
October 1944, Slovakia ultimately
changed sides and ended the war on
the side of the Allies.
Today, the museum houses a
permanent exhibition devoted to
crucial political and military events
in Slovakia from 1918 to 1948.
There is an open-air exhibition of
military equipment, including a
plane that airlifted supplies to the
embattled partisans. A historical
library that contains more than
20,000 volumes is also noteworthy.
5 Štátna opera (State Opera)
Národná 11, Banská Bystrica
+421 (0)48 245-7101 www.stateopera.sk
depends on performances depends on
performances WC
The State Opera resides in a building
dating back to the 1920s and is
based on a plan by prominent Slovak
architect Emil Belluš. It has been
named a national monument. The
State Opera began as a branch of
the Zvolen Theatre, but since 1993
it has been independent. It employs
its own orchestra, soloists, choir, and
a ballet ensemble. The repertoire
focuses not only on well-known
works such as Verdi’s Macbeth and
Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, but
also produces the work of its own
Slovak composers. Since 1979, the
State Opera has participated in the
festival Zámocké hry zvolenské
(Zvolen Castle Plays), an annual
drama and opera festival that offers
performances in the the yard of
Zvolen Castle.
Nám.ŠtefanaMoyzesa
Train
station
16 min
Národná
Arcadepasáž
Kuzmányho
JánaCikkera
NámestieSlovenského
národnéhopovstania
Nám.ŠtefanaMoyzesa
Národná
Kapitulská
Krížna
Skuteckého
Horná
Kapitulská
FrantiškaŠvantnera
Lazovná
Štadlerovonábrežie
Horná
N
central slovakia - banská bystrica 99
Church of the Assumption
of the Virgin Mary
House of Matej
Church of the
Holy Cross
1b
1c
1a
1
2
3
5
4
1a
1e
1d
1b 1c
i
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/100 central slovakia
2 Hronský Beňadik
map D 4 80 km / 50 miles (47 min) SW of
Banská Bystrica 1,230
www.obechronskybenadik.sk
Church and monastery
Pod Kláštorom 1, Hronský Beňadik
+421 (0)45 689-3198; +421 (0)903 938-393
www.benadik-klastor.sk Mon-Fri 10:00-12:00,
13:00-16:00 Sat 13:00-16:00 closed (booking
necessary) Fri 18:00 voluntary
The church and the adjacent
Benedictine monastery, collectively
known as the Pearl of the Pohronie
region, were built on a strategic
site originally called Slovenská
Brána (Slovak Gate), an important
trading crossroads. It is believed
that a monastery already existed
here in 1075, when the founding
deed from that year contained a list
of ownership rights for an existing
monastery. Over the years, the
property of the monastery grew and
it came to serve as an official place
where people could certify deeds,
deposit valuables, publish books,
and resolve property disputes. But
when the Ottomans invaded the
region in the 16th
century, the order
was dissolved and the monastery
was turned into a military fortress
to withstand Ottoman raids. This
was not the last unusual function
that the complex served: in 1950
the communists herded all of
Slovakia\'s nuns into this monastery
to crush monasteries and control
religious activities.Today, the parish
is administered by the Pallottine
Order. The whole complex is of
high historical and architectural
value, and its three-nave church is
considered to be one of the most
remarkable gothic structures in
Slovakia. It was built between
1346-1375, and its architecture
shows that those who designed and
built it were well acquainted with
the works of the Parler workshop
in Nuremberg and Prague, as well
as the workshop responsible for the
Cathedral of St Stephan in Vienna.
Apart from precious wall paintings,
carved wooden altars and excellent
masonry, the church holds a
precious relic of Christ’s Blood – a
piece of the veil of Veronica, the
scarf with which St Veronica is said
to have wiped the face of Jesus.
King Matthias Corvinus, who
gave this relic to the church on
the occasion of its consecration,
probably received it from Pope
Paul II as a thank you gift for his
involvement in battles against the
Ottomans.
In addition to the monastery, the
town contains other churches of
interest, as well as the Plague Chapel
of Holy Blood. Also noteworthy is a
memorial to victims of World War
I and the statuary of St Anna and
St Benedict.
3 Hodruša–Hámre
(mine) page 285
4 sklenéteplice
map D 4 55 km / 34 miles SW of Banská
Bystrica 436
Liečebné termálne kúpele Sklené Teplice
(spa)
Sklené Teplice 100 +421 (0)45 677-1061
Mon-Sun 7:00-19:00 from €1.5
WC
Spa SklenéTeplice has been serving
the health needs of Europeans since
the 15th
century. The facility has
expanded its core business to include
recreation and active leisure with its
thermal springs and unique mineral
water. The Bathouse Goethe, named
for the German poet and writer
who once visited the spa, contains
a café as well as accommodations
and a communal mineral bath. The
chief accommodation is the Hotel
Relax Thermal, a communist-era
facility that also includes treatment
suites, baths and a dining room with
appetising food, all under one roof.
Relaxation therapies – massages,
baths, wraps, and beauty treatments
– are offered to the general public in
the building housing the Parenica –
a thermal bath that enables visitors
to bathe in a cave filled by 42°C
hot mineral water. That’s rather
hot water. Spa SklenéTeplice is
transitioning from a health spa to
a relaxation destination. The area
offers many activities for those
seeking diversions from the spa
routine, including sightseeing,
cultural events and a beautiful
setting. The requisite spa park is
not as manicured as some other spa
parks, but is quiet and pleasant.
The thermal bath in the Parenica cave
Photo:AmandaRivkin
Photo:courtesyofSpaSklenéTeplice
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/5 Banská štiavnica X
map D 4 47 km / 29 miles (38 min) SW of Banská Bystrica 10,409 Námestie sv. Trojice 6, Banská Štiavnica
+421 (0)45 694-9653 www.banskastiavnica.sk 1.6 km / 1 mile SE of centre 2.6 km / 1.6 miles SE of centre May: Majáles
(traditional ball), Festival kumštu, remesla a zábavy (Craft Festival); June: Silver veteran rally; July: Jazznica (Summer Jazz Fest); July: Live Chess;
August: Folk & World Music Fest, Unforgotten Crafts; September: Salamander Days; December: Christmas market
Banská Štiavnica had its glory days during the height of
the Slovak mineral boom in the 18th
and 19th
centuries.
Rich gold and silver veins combined with sophisticated
science-based mining technologies led to significant wealth
and prestige. The mountain village’s population
surged to more than 36,000, then the third largest
population centre in the Habsburg Monarchy.
As mining prospered, other benefits accrued – the
town became the European centre for mining;
royalty and academics visited; sciences and
technologies related to mining, such as
machine engineering, chemistry and forestry,
ballooned.With wealth came large, expensive,
and beautifully designed buildings, churches and
homes.
Alas, with the advent of 20th
century, the mineral-
generated wealth dried up. The changing political,
economic, and technology winds of the post-World
War II era sapped the town of its textile, shoe, and
tobacco industries as well as its technical institutes,
leaving a diminished population (hovering around
10,000) and too much empty real estate of a
bygone era.While there is interest in turning
some of this 18th
century real estate into
flats or using it for other purposes, the strict
government historical reconstruction codes
apparently discourage rather than encourage
investors. Still, this boomtown gone bust has
much going for it. A new generation of post-communist
entrepreneurs are busy developing replacement industries.
The walk into its town square is an up-hill climb.Tourism
and a scattering of the 21st
century businesses are chiselling
out niches and the prospects for the historic town, which
includes monuments in the vicinity on the UNESCO
World Heritage List, seem promising.
One example is the ERB brewery, a small family-owned
microbrewery on Novozámocká Street with 33 employees.
Working from the base of a family-owned building in
the downtown historical district, the endeavour has a
thriving restaurant and a developing distribution
network across Slovakia for their draft and hand-
bottled beer. Their success is in part attributable
to their values. According to Lucia Gašparová, a
principal member of the company, “You have
to love the town and want to stay there….
Renovations cannot only be about making money
– you have to put your heart into renovations”.
With their motto, “we do everything ourselves.
We want to have everything perfect,” they offer
a model to other like-minded Banská Štiavnica
residents. Much can be inferred about a town’s
self-image from its monuments. HolyTrinity
Square in the centre of Banská Štiavnica is
dominated by a towering baroque structure
memorialising the end of the 1710-11 plague
when nearly half of its citizenry perished.
Crowned by golden rays, the intricate
series of statues boldly announces the town’s
wealth to visitors. Set to one side of the
main thoroughfare, the square is indeed
unique. One of the few European squares with
quite a steep incline, it is narrow and long, closed
with the gothic St Catherine Church at its base and lined
with impressive burgher houses. Many of the buildings on
HolyTrinity Square have undergone reconstruction into
flats, shops and even a gallery, but heading up the square,
the many unreconstructed houses alert the visitor to the
town’s fall from glory.
central slovakia - banská štiavnica 101
1
4
5
3
2
i
Town Hall
Old Castle
Plague Column of
the Holy Trinity
Plague Column of the Holy Trinity
Gallery of
Jozef Kollár
Mineralogical
exhibition
Church of
St Catherine
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/102 central slovakia - banská štiavnica
1 Starý zámok (Old Castle)
Starozámocká 11, Banská Štiavnica
+421 (0)45 694-9472 www.muzeumbs.sk
Mon-Sun 9:00-17:00 from €3 WC
60 min
Climbing the steep hill behind
the Holy Trinity Square leads to
the Old Castle, the dominant
masonry structure near the
centre of Banská Štiavnica.
Exploring this structure offers the
opportunity of understanding
how mediaeval towns evolved as
well as experiencing a Renaissance
defence stronghold.
The structure began as a
romanesque church, built early
in the 13th
century as the parish
church for this burgeoning
mining settlement. Because of its
protected location, following the
destruction of the royal castle a
wall was built around the church
with defensive fortifications,
ramparts and embrasures. What
had been the town church became
the town castle and, with gothic
and Renaissance reconstructions,
remained so until the late 18th
century when the threat of
Ottoman raids ceased.
Visitors are welcome to climb the
tower, a late addition, and view
the town and surrounding area.
One room in the old church serves
as an exhibit space for a number
of stone statues that were found at
various times in the town. Along
the back wall a display of filigreed
iron crosses is not to be missed.
2 Galéria Jozefa Kollára
(Jozef Kollár Art Gallery)
Nám. sv. Trojice 12, Banská Štiavnica +421
(0)45 691-3431 www.muzeumbs.sk
Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00 €2 WC
45 min
The Jozef Kollár Art Gallery is
located on the Holy Trinity
Square in three restored
burgher houses dating
from the 16th
century.
Visiting the gallery is at
least as much about seeing
the interior of Banská
Štiavnica’s beautiful burgher
houses as it is about viewing
the 240 pieces of art native
to the region that make up
the collection. The museum is
on the first floor but the visitor
needs to pay close attention to the
ground floor and the beautiful
carved wood staircases and the
panelled ceilings throughout this
jewel of a museum.
There are essentially three
collections. The historic collection
includes sculptures of St Barbara
and St Catherine, both dating
from 1506. The second collection
includes many works by the
gallery’s namesake, Jozef Kollár
(1899–1982). Kollár, one of
Slovakia’s most loved modern
artists, was a landscape painter
known for his free, unrestricted,
highly emotional style. A
collection of the work of Kollár’s
cotemporary, painter Edmund
Gwerk (1895–1956), makes up
the third part.
3 Berggericht – Mineralogická expozícia
(Mineralogical exhibition)
Námestie sv. Trojice 6, Banská Štiavnica +421
(0)45 692-0536 www.muzeumbs.sk
Tue-Sat 9:00-17:00
€2.5 WC 45 min
The former mining court
called Berggericht houses the
mineralogical exhibition showing
minerals from around the world
and emphasises those from
Slovakia. Beneath the building is
an actual mine – about 75-metre
long – demonstrating techniques
to support the shafts, telling the
story of underground mining and
giving the visitor a sense of the
somewhat claustrophobic
conditions miners faced.
4 Mestská radnica (Town Hall)
Radničné námestie 1, Banská
Štiavnica
exterior views only
Dating back to the 14th
century,
this late gothic, multi-storey
block building houses the
municipal administration. At
one time the building contained
the chapel of St Anna, but today
the interior is a typical office
building.
It is hard to actually appreciate
Trainstation31min
Open-AirMuseum15min
Calvary17min
J.Augustu
Dolná Resla
Katova
Novozámocká
Jaroslava Augustu
Strieborná
JánaHolléhoMierová
HornáResla
M.KukučínaNám.sv.Trojice
DolnáResla
AndrejaSládkoviča
Akademická
Nám.sv.Trojice
Radničné nám.
Dolná ružová
Hornáružová
Antona Pécha
Dolnáružová
Jána Palárika
Horná ružová
Malá okružná
AndrejaSládkoviča
Dolná Resla
Novozámocká Strieborná
Katova
Kammerhofská
Kammerhofská
Andreja Kmeťa
Farská
Jána Palárika
Akademická
N i
3
2
1
4 5
6
7
8
9
10
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia - banská štiavnica 103
the building standing close to
it visitors should step away and
view the tower with its interesting
clock. At first it appears the clock
is not working as the time it
displays is clearly not accurate.
Closer examination reveals that
the hands of the clock are reversed
– the long hand identifies the hour
and the short hand the minute.
Legend has it that an apprentice
clockmaker made the mistake.
When the town’s burghers
inspected the work, it was after
lunch and all had drunk too much
to notice the error.
5 Kostol sv. Kataríny (Church of St Catherine)
Radničné námestie 17, Banská Štiavnica
+421 (0)902 283-286 Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00
Sun 14:00-19:00 booking necessary special
occasions only voluntary
Built between 1488 and 1491 in
late gothic style, the Church of
St Catherine stands next to the
Town Hall. The church is notably
unchanged from how it looked
when it was built, maintaining its
architectural integrity, probably
because it was completed so
quickly. This is unusual for
buildings of this time period.
The interior is light and airy,
accomplishing the goal
of gothic architects
to emphasise the imminence of
God and heaven. The beautifully
ribbed vaulted ceiling is especially
striking as is the central altar. This
structure replaced the original late
gothic altar (two of the exquisitely
wood-carved statues can be seen
in the Gallery of Jozef Kollár) after
1725 and is a notable example of
early baroque church architecture.
The late gothic carved stone
baptistery illustrated the mastery
of stone masons from this era.
6 Klopačka (Clapper)
Andreja Sládkoviča 7, Banská Štiavnica
+421 (0)905 980-499 www.klopacka.com
Mon-Sun 10:00-24:00free WC
The Clapper, or Klopačka in
Slovak, got its name from a
wooden board which was used to
call miners to work by clapping
on it. The lower part of this
building, with a tower completed
in 1681 in the baroque and
Renaissance style, was used
to imprison miners sentenced
by the Mining Court. Today
it holds a popular tea house.
Standing on the slope above
the town it offers a spectacular
view over the roofs of Banská
Štiavnica, including the
Calvary.
7 Nový zámok (New Castle)
Novozámocká 22, Banská Štiavnica; 0.6 km /
0.4 mile (10 min) SE of Town Hall
+421 (0)45 691-1543 www.muzeumbs.sk
Mon-Sun 9:00-17:00 €2 WC
The best view of Banská
Štiavnica’s centre and environs is
unquestionably from the top of
the watchtower christened the
New Castle. Built in 1564-1571
to protect the town from the
Ottoman invasions and hardly
a castle at all (despite its corner
bastions and cannon embrasures),
the building now houses a unique
collection of weapons and defence
equipment. One of its six floors is
devoted to a graphic explanation of
the Ottoman invasions, especially
in the mining districts of present-
day Slovakia, and includes a large
map. Another has wood plaques
illustrated with drawings of the
Ottomans and war materials. These
plaques were used as targets for
musket balls, and the numerous
holes can be seen today.
Each floor offers a gallery
of windows welcoming
photographers and geographers
trying to make sense of the
town\'s topography. Located
several hundred metres above
the town centre, it is a good
location for starting (or ending)
a tour of Banská Štiavnica.
Beneath the New
Castle there is a
reconstructed
historical Jewish
cemetery.
New Castle
ChurchofStCatherineandTownHall
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/104 central slovakia - banská štiavnica
8 Štôlňa Glanzenberg
(Glanzenberg Hereditary Adit)
city map page 102 Kammerhofská 20, Banská
Štiavnica +421 (0)45 692-0535 50 min
www.muzeumbs.sk Tue-Fri 12:00 Sat 10:00,
12:00, 14:00 (booking necessary) €4 WC
Another historical structure open
for visitors in the town is the
Glanzenberg adit used to drain
away water from local mines.
It is one of the oldest in the
region and known for prominent
visitors noted on plaques. While
its entrance is on Kammerhofská
Street, the tour ends at the
Kaufhaus shaft just below St
Catherine’s.
9 Kostol nanebovzatia Panny Márie
(Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary)
city map page 102 Jána Palárika 7, B. Štiavnica
+421 (0)45 692-1856 www.banskastiavnica.sk
Jul-Aug: Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun 14:17 Sat
9:00-17:00 Tue-Thu 7:30 Fri-Sat 18:05
Sun 7:30, 10:30 voluntary
This originally romanesque
structure is known as the Church of
the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
or, to residents of Banská Štiavnica,
the German or parish church.
The complexity of the three-nave
structure makes the building
very interesting to architectural
historians.
For casual visitors, a view
of the interior, which did
not escape reconstruction
in the classicist style
due to an 1806 fire, is
well worth seeing if the
church is open. The
richly carved wooden
pews and pulpit date
from this period.
10 Kammerhof – Expozícia baníctva
(Mining exposition)
city map page 102 Kammerhofská 2, Banská
Štiavnica +421 (0)45 694-9418 WC
www.muzeumbs.sk Tue-Sat 9:00-17:00 €2
The Kammerhof, dating back to
the 13th
century, is the former
seat of the mining board of
management and now the
headquarters of the Slovak
Mining Museum, sheltering all
the main museums in the town.
It hosts a permanent exhibition
dedicated to Slovakia’s mining
history featuring models of
unique mining machines.
Kalvária (Calvary)
Pod Kalváriou, Banská Štiavnica2 km / 1.2
miles (32 min) NE of Town Hall +421 (0)45 694-
9653 www.kalvaria.org non-stop free
Štiavnica’s most beautiful jewel
was designed by Jesuit priest Franz
Perger. The striking mountainside
Calvary is grand, culminating in
three churches, 19 chapels and
a sculpture of the Virgin Mary
spread across a steep hill just
outside the city. Working with
the municipal leaders and
the Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, funding was
guaranteed. Designed as a
symbolic depiction, the
whole complex depicts
the Christian passion
from the Last Supper
to the crucifixion
and resurrection
and Seven Sorrows
of the Virgin Mary. The
symmetry of the two
intersecting paths weaving
up the hillside, interrupted
by a series of beautifully
decorated chapels and
pavilions, reflect the 18th
century
aesthetic of balance and order.
Today the baroque Calvary,
having experienced vandalism and
neglect, is under extensive
reconstruction. A significant part
of the work has been already done.
The lovely Calvary offers to the
contemporary traveller not only
a glimpse into Banská Štiavnica’s
glory days, but also a quiet and
contemplative experience well
worth the somewhat arduous
climb.
Banské múzeum v prírode
(Open-Air Mining Museum)
J.K. Hella 12, Banská Štiavnica1.5 km
/ 0.9 mile (22 min) SW of Town Hall +421
(0)45 691-2971 www.muzeumbs.sk Jul-Aug:
Tue-Sun 9:00-18:00, May-Jun, Sep: Tue-Sun
9:00-17:00 (entry every hour) €5
WC 90 min
Plenty of monuments
in the town recall its
mining heritage, mostly
in a network of sites that
comprise the Slovak Mining
Museum. Among them is the
Open-Air Mining Museum,
located just outside the town
centre, where visitors are given
hard-hats, plastic coats and
torches which are quite helpful
when walking 40 metres below
the ground. During an hour-long
tour, one can see many pictures
of the mine during its most
productive era, including images
of the miners themselves
(often naked because of
the unbearable heat).
Brave visitors can spot
bats, hear many mining
stories or find themselves
directly beneath a lake.
Be careful not to stroll
too far away from the
group; visitors are
warned they might
never be found again.
One of the sculptures of the Calvary
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia 105
6 svätýanton W
map D 4 53 km / 32.9 miles (46 min) SW of
Banská Bystrica
1,217 September: Days of St Hubert
Kaštieľ (Manor Hause)
Svätý Anton +421 (0)45 691-3932
www.msa.sk Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct: Tue-Sun 9:00
-16:00, Jul-Aug: Mon-Sun 9:00-17:30 Nov-Mar:
Tue-Sat 8:00-15:00 from €5 (partly)
WC 60 (small tour only) 90
Even 250 years after it was built,
one can feel the powerful vibes
of the wealthy Koháry and
Coburg families who lived
in the Svätý Anton manor
house. Walking up to the
steep entrance from the car
park below, the house appears
to preside over the town from
its lofty position.
Located 6 kilometres south
of Banská Štiavnica, this
baroque mansion was originally
designed to illustrate a calendar:
four entrances representing each
season, 12 chimneys for each
month, 52 rooms for each week,
and 365 windows for each day.
Because some of these features were
destroyed during the 19th
century
renovations, visitors should not be
obsessed with counting their way
through.
What wasn’t destroyed is the
impressive collection of 18th
and 19th
century furniture:
almost all of it is
original to the
house. One
notable
exception is the gilded furniture
manufactured by French master
Georg Jacob and the silk upholstery
manufactured by Phillip de la Salle
in the Gold Lounge. Maria Theresa
gave it to her daughter, Marie
Antoinette, as a wedding present.
This furniture was purchased in
1935 at an auction in Paris by
the house’s last owner, Ferdinand
Coburg, and is a must-see. About
80 percent of the rooms are set up
the same way as when the families
lived in the house.
Highlights include a changing
room with wallpaper made of
newspaper caricatures and
a simple oak table with
original drawings painted by
Ferdinand Coburg. The table
is filled with drawings of
butterflies and flowers,
and functions as a testament to
his travels around Slovakia – each
drawing is labelled with the date
he saw it. These exquisite drawings
began when he was 16 and ended
when he was 73 years old.
These owners not only lived in
grandeur, they also prayed in it. The
chapel’s baroque illusionist frescoes
by Austrian painter Anton Schmidt
(who lived in Banská Štiavnica) are
especially noteworthy. The chapel
is in service only once a year – the
Sunday closest to the Feast of the
Assumption (August 15) when
one can rent it for a wedding or
christening.
For those whose interests lie in the
out-of-doors, there is also a hunting
exposition. There are 1,000 hunting
trophies from the local area as well
as abroad. Children will also enjoy
the dioramas of stuffed animals.
There is a distinct museum
feel to this touring experience.
If there is no tour guide who
speaks English, a printed English
translation is available. There are
two tours available: a 60-minute
tour highlights the furniture and
a 90-minute tour adds the
hunting exposition and
chapel. It is worth the
time and money to
take the second
option.
The Svätý Anton manor
house was designed to
illustrate a calendar
The chapel is
decorated with
baroque illusionist
frescoes
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7 dudince (spa)
page 224
8 Bzovík (castle ruins)
page 202
9 krupina
map E 4 51 km / 32 miles (42 min) SW of
Banská Bystrica 8,046 Svätotrojičné nám. 5,
Krupina +421 (0)918 869-100 www.krupina.sk
Strážna veža Vartovka (Watchtower Vartovka)
standing on the hill Stražavár near Krupina –
follow blue signs from the centre of Krupina; 1.8 km /
1.1 miles SE of the centre of Krupina
non-stop free
The territory of Krupina has been
inhabited for more than 5,000 years
and has experienced a dramatic
series of ups and downs. Krupina is
one of the oldest towns in Slovakia,
having obtained the privileges of
a free royal town in the first half
of the 13th
century. The
town flourished due
to its position on the
route known as Via
Magna, which connected
it with Krakow, as well
as for its deposits of gold
and silver, which ran out
in the 14th
century. During
attacks by the Ottomans, Krupina
suffered considerable damage, and
to prevent further destruction, the
town built fortification walls with
two main gates. Around 1564,
watchtowers were added, one of
which, Vartovka, on Stražavár
hill, survives to this day. Recently
restored, it offers beautiful views
over the town centre and the
surrounding countryside of the
Štiavnické vrchy mountains and
the Krupinská planina plateau.
Ottomans never conquered
Krupina, but in the 18th
century
a plague hit the town and about
2,000 people perished. The parish
church with three preserved
romanesque naves was built around
1220, and its fortifications rank
among Krupina’s most valuable
monuments. The market square
boasts a baroque column of the
HolyTrinity from the workshop of
Dionýz Stanetti, a significant artist
active in Banská Štiavnica. Krupina
is also the birthplace of prominent
Slovak poet Andrej Sládkovič.
10 zaježová (eco-village)
page 272
11 zvolen
map E 4 21 km / 13 miles (20 min) S of Banská
Bystrica 43,318 Námestie SNP 21/31,
Zvolen +421 (0)45 542-9268 www.zvolen.sk
1 km / 0.6 mile SW of centre June: Days
of roses in the Arboretum Borová Hora
Zvolen, one of the oldest towns in
Slovakia, lies in the heart of central
Slovakia. In 1238 it was one of
the first places in the
Kingdom of Hungary
to be granted town
privileges and still retains
the right to bear its own
coat of arms. There are two
castles in the area, Zvolen
Castle – a former hunting
lodge for King Louis the Great of
Anjou – and another castle called
Pustý hrad (the Deserted Castle),
which is now a ruin. A spacious
square in the centre of town is
called the Square of the Slovak
National Uprising (SNP). Within
the square are two interesting
sites, the Church of St Elizabeth
and a huge sculpture called the
Shepherd’s Hatchet. The entire
square is lined with Renaissance
and baroque burgher houses. In
a park below the castle there is a
replica of an armoured train that
workers assembled during the SNP
to aid the partisans in their battles
with the Nazis. The town is also the
site of theTechnical University in
Zvolen.
Zvolenský zámok (Zvolen Castle)
Námestie SNP 594/1, Zvolen
+421 (0)45 532-1903 www.sng.sk
Wed-Sun 10:00-17:30 €€2.70
WC
Zvolen Castle is the dominant
feature in the town. It was built
in the gothic style in the 14th
century and towers above the
town centre. It once served as a
hunting lodge for King Louis the
Great of Anjou and later had many
notable owners, including Matthias
Corvinus, Jan Jiskra of Brandýs
and György Thurzo. King Louis’
daughter Mary chose the castle as
the place to announce her betrothal
to Sigismund of Luxemburg.
Reconstruction in the 16th
century
was necessitated by the threat from
the Ottoman Empire, but neither
the castle nor the town was overrun.
The castle was reconstructed in
the Renaissance style. The chapel
was rebuilt in baroque in the
18th
century. After the regional
administrative seat was relocated to
Banská Bystrica in 1789, the castle
lost its significance and in 1805 the
Eszterházy family sold it to the state.
Its empty rooms were used variously
as a court, a jail and for tobacco
storage. Extensive reconstruction
began in 1957 but was not
completed until 1969. The castle
has regained its gothic/Renaissance
look, and was listed as a national
cultural monument in 1961.Today,
the castle boasts a gallery of early
Days of roses
in Zvolen
WatchtowerVartovkaZvolenCastle
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia 107
European masters and byzantine
icons and has been a branch of
the Slovak National Gallery since
1965. In summer, a popular theatre
festival called Zvolen Castle Plays
takes place in the courtyard. The
castle is also available for concerts
and weddings.
Kostol sv. Alžbety (Church of St Elizabeth)
Námestie SNP 68/40, Zvolen +421 (0)45
533-2122entrance hall Mon-Fri 6:00,
12:00, 17:00 Sat 6:30, 18:00; Sun 7:00, 9:00
18:00voluntary
The Roman Catholic Church of
St Elizabeth is one of the oldest
buildings in Zvolen. It was
constructed in late romanesque
and early gothic styles in the 13th
century. The first mention of the
church is from 1244, when the
King Béla IV granted the people
of Zvolen the right to elect their
priests. Later the church underwent
several reconstructions. In the 14th
and 15th
century, it was used as
a rectory, a poorhouse, a school,
a town hall and a jail. The tower
and the baroque chapel were
constructed later. The church’s
interior was altered in a neo-gothic
style in the 19th
century. The stained
glass in the sanctuary dates to 1935.
Today, it serves as a parish church
and still holds regular services.
Pustý hrad (Deserted Castle - ruins)
Pod Dráhami 2292/21, Zvolen (3.4 km / 2.1
miles S of the train station – the blue tourist sign)
www.pustyhrad.com
non-stop free
The ruins of the Old Zvolen Castle,
which is the original name of the
Deserted Castle, are located in the
southern part of Zvolen above the
confluence of the Hron and Slatina
Rivers. The thick forests on the hill
have yet to reveal all their secrets,
but archaeologists have nonetheless
uncovered a massive fortified
complex indicating that the castle
dates back to the 12th
century and
was once one of the largest castles
in central Europe. It was built to
protect two important mediaeval
routes. The Deserted Castle was once
a regional centre and even served as
a county seat. The buildings of Old
Zvolen Castle were destroyed by
a fire during the reign of
János Hunyadi and the
castle has been a ruin ever
since. Reconstructions
of parts of the
castle have been
underway since
1992. The site
draws many
tourists eager to
experience the
beautiful views from the
hill.
12 sliač (flights,spa,
golf) pages 269, 224, 275
13 Hronsek (wooden
church) page 108
14 zvolenská slatina
(traditional food) page 238
15 zámok vígľaš
(castle)
map E 4 38 km / 24 miles (34 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica Zámocká 602, Vígľaš
www.zamokviglas.com exterior views only (the
castle is under reconstruction; hotel has opened in mid
September 2014)
While the origins of Vígľaš Castle
are not known, there are indications
that it was built by crusaders in the
13th
century. Later, it served as a
hunting lodge for the Hungarian
kings. Matthias Corvinus was
known to hunt in these woods.
Fortified during the incursions from
the Ottomans in the 16th
century,
the castle formed a significant role
in the defence of the area. During
World War II Vígľaš was occupied
by the Nazi German forces, and in
1945 it was badly damaged in a fire.
The condition of the castle steadily
deteriorated until 2010 when a
private investor bought the castle
grounds and began a renovation
with a plan to open a four-star hotel
on the site. Reconstructed, it will
include a chapel which will be open
to the public. The hotel has opened
for business in September 2014.
16 slatinské lazy
(army training) page 270
17 detva
map E 4 50 km / 31 miles (46 min) SE od
Banská Bystrica 15,046 M. R. Štefánika
3214/2E, Detva +421 (0)45 545-9087
www.detva.sk
Folklórne slávnosti pod Poľanou (Folklore
Festival under Poľana) www.fspdetva.sk Jul
depends on performances
Every year on the second
weekend of July, Detva
hosts a festival of traditional
Slovak folklore,
Folklórne slávnosti
pod Poľanou
(Folklore Festival
under Poľana),
in its amphitheatre
on Sládkovičova
Street. The event features
musical and dance
performances by ensembles from
around the world and has been held
regularly since 1966. It draws more
than 1,000 performers. Besides the
performances there are workshops
where visitors can try singing,
dancing and playing some of the
unique musical folk instruments.
The festival includes an offering of
traditional folklore crafts. Detva
is also noted for its own folkloric
costumes. The men’s attire consists
of loose trousers with a low-cut
shirt that covers only about a third
of the chest. Because of this unusual
ensemble, Detva males are called
holopupkári, which means men
with bare bellies.
Folkloric costumes
from Detva
Detvahasrichfolkloretraditions
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13 Hronsek W
map E 4 13 km / 8 miles (15 min) S of Banská
Bystrica 638 www.hronsek.sk
Wooden Articular Church
A. H. Krčméryho 7, Hronsek +421 (0)48 418-
8165 www.drevenykostolik.sk
Mon-Sun 9:00–17:00 (booking recommended)
Sundays 9:00 voluntary
The Evangelical church in
Hronsek, built entirely from
wood with no nails, is one of eight
wooden structures of Slovakia
that was added to UNESCO’s
World Heritage List in 2008. The
church was completed in 1726.
Its name, Drevený
artikulárny, is
derived from
drevený
(Slovak
for
wooden) and articular (or
articled) referring to articles
adopted in 1681 in Sopron,
Hungary, which gave Protestants
the right to build churches, albeit
with a number of restrictions.
The church can hold more than
a thousand people on benches
arranged as in an amphitheatre,
thus providing a view of the
altar for all. The church is easy
to find as many road signs have
been posted to mark the way.
Hronsek\'s wooden church reflects
an influence of Scandinavian
wooden buildings and it still
serves as a house
of worship. Masses are held
regularly as well as special events
such as weddings, funerals and
christenings. Near the church are
four approximately 250-year-
old lime trees planted when the
church was built.
18 poľana
map E 4 60 km / 37 miles (55 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica Hriňová +421 (0)45
533-4834 www.chkopolana.eu
Poľana is the highest volcanic
mountain in Slovakia and
one of the biggest inactive
volcanoes in Europe. It is part
of the Carpathian arch. The
administration centre for Poľana
is in Zvolen. Established in
1981 as one of the 14 Slovak
protected landscape areas, Poľana
has since 1990 been a biosphere
reserve of UNESCO. One of
its peaks, known as Hrb, is the
geographical centre of Slovakia.
Hrb lies on the northern rim of
Poľana. Because of its volcanic
origin the mountain offers
many unusual formations such
as Kaľamárka, Melich’s Rock,
and Jánošík’s Rock. In the valley
Bystré there is a wonderful
23-metre waterfall flowing down
the rock in a series of steps.
Poľana also offers various
hiking trails and a 128-km
cycling track around the
mountain.
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia 109
19 modrý kameň
map E 5 75 km / 47 miles (67 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica 1,555
+421 (0)47 487-0076 www.modrykamen.sk
Modrý Kameň
Hrad (Castle)
Zámocká 1, Modrý Kameň +421 (0)47 487-
0218 www.snm.sk
May-Jun, Sep-Oct: Mon-Sun 9:00-16:00; Jul-Aug:
Mon-Sun 9:00-17:00; Nov-Apr: Mon-Fri 9:00-14:00
€4.5 (partly) WC 60
Modrý Kameň, a 1,500-person
town, features a curious hodge-
podge of exhibitions including
the Museum of Puppet Culture
and Toys in its castle. The
museum offers a unique insight
into Slovak childhood of all
eras and all social classes. While
children of the 20th
century
aristocracy could serve tea in
china cups to their extravagantly-
clothed dolls, the more prosaic
and authentically battered
hand-carved wooden toys are far
more charming. There is a wide
selection of rocking horses, corn
dolls, children’s shoes, chunky
guns, and bows and arrows,
constructed sturdily enough
to be passed through
multiple generations. The
collection of puppets and
marionettes is equally
diverse, bringing
together exhibits from
various Slovak and
international puppet
troupes.
Another of Modrý Kameň’s
eclectic exhibitions is that of
dental technology through
the life of František Kuska
(1865-1934), Slovakia’s first
dentist. Along with portraits
of Kuska and his three
dentist sons, visitors might shiver
at the sight of dentists’ chairs, false
teeth, dental textbooks, skulls and a
manually powered drill.
Completing the juxtaposition of
exhibitions at Modrý Kameň is
a small ethnographic museum,
with the usual collection of farm
implements, cottage furniture and
traditional Slovak dress, as well as
two rooms commemorating the life
and work of Bálint Balassi (1554-
1594), a notable Hungarian poet
and author, whose family owned
the castle.
20 dolná streHová
(aquapark) page 263
21 lučenec
map F 4 81 km / 50 miles (72 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica 28,475 Tomáša Garrigue
Masaryka 14, Lučenec +421 (0)47 433-1513
www.lucenec.sk 0.5 km / 0.3 mile NE of centre
0.9 km / 0.6 mile NE of centre July: No-
vohrad folklore festival; August: Aerogule (petanque
competition); December: Half marathon
Židovská synagóga (Jewish synagogue)
Adyho 4, Lučenec +421 (0)47 433-1513
(information centre) exterior views only
Novohradské múzeum a galéria
(Novohrad Museum and Gallery)
Kubányiho nám. 3, Lučenec
+421 (0)47 433-2397 www.nmg.sk
Tue-Wed Fri 9:00-17:00, Thu 9:00-18:00,
Sun 14:00-17:00 €1.5 WC
A pelican pecking a hole in its
own breast to feed its three
chicks with its blood – that’s
what most people remember
who have seen the coat of arms
of Lučenec.
The first historical mention
of Lučenec dates back to 1128
when first a chapel and then
a monastery were built at
a trading crossroads. The
town has managed to
preserve several religious
buildings that tourists enjoy today:
the Roman Catholic church
built in 1783, the Evangelical
church in 1784 and the Calvinist
church in 1853. The large Jewish
synagogue featuring elements of
Byzantine and secession style, is
one of Lučenec’s most impressive
landmarks. It was built in 1925,
for the then 2,088-strong Jewish
community, but was abandoned
after 1944. During the communist
regime it was used for storage.
Like many towns in Slovakia,
before World War II the city had a
considerable Jewish population, but
following the Holocaust, the Jewish
community never recovered in size
or influence. Neither the city nor
its cultural organisations have as yet
found the money to reconstruct the
building, designed by Hungarian
architect Lipót Baumhorn. In 2014,
the city announced new plans to
pursue a project of reconstruction of
the synagogue.
Part of downtown Lučenec has been
declared a historical monument area
to acknowledge the historical and
architectural value of its churches
and five mansions, including the
Reduta, which was built in 1810 to
serve as a cultural centre.Today, after
a massive reconstruction, it is the
home of the town’s best hotel. The
Town Hall, built in 1894, and the
400-year-old Hungarian secondary
school are also part of the area.
Those who hunger for culture can
visit the Novohrad Museum and
Gallery, founded in 1955, and learn
of the region’s extensive handcrafts
traditions. Lučenec also has a small
airport in Boľkovce.
Less elegant is the Zlatá Ulička
(Golden Street) shopping precinct,
off Masarykova, which fails to live
up to its name. It is an already-
fading example of 1990s kitsch
populated by a curious selection
of tenants and vacant lots. Back
in 1998 a plan was announced to
build a 40-storey building, which
never came about. Nevertheless,
today a pair of tall buildings define
Lučenec’s skyline.
Marionette
from Modrý Kameň
JewishsynagogueinLučenecLučenec’sskyscraper
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/110 central slovakia
22 rapovce (aquapark)
page 263
23 Fiľakovo
map F 4 94 km / 58 miles (80 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica 10,817 Podhradská 14,
Fiľakovo +421 (0)47 438-2016 www.filakovo.sk
June: Fiľakovo Historic Castle Games
Hradné múzeum (Castle Museum)
Hlavná 14, Fiľakovo (castle is accessible from the
Podhradská Street) +421 (0)47 438-2017
www.hradfilakovo.sk Mar-Nov: Mon-Sun 10:00-
18:00 (last entry to museum 17:00) booking
necessary €3 (castle), €0.7 (museum)
(museum only) WC 45 min (museum)
The landscape of Fiľakovo, a
town of 10,800 inhabitants
located around 17 kilometres
from Lučenec, is dominated by
a castle perched on a volcanic
rock formation some 65 metres
above the town. Fiľakovo Castle
was originally built as a wooden
structure in the 13th
century, but
was recast in stone during the
Ottoman invasions making it one
of the first stone castles in what is
now Slovakia.
The castle, one of a line of
borderland castles, is mostly in
ruins today, but several significant
parts have been preserved, the
most famous of which is the Bebek
bastion. Indeed, the history of the
castle highlights the name of the
Bebek family under which the most
significant parts of the castle were
built, including the bastion, which
today hosts a museum.
Fiľakovo Castle managed to pique
interest as far away asTurkey and
it might well be that in the future
Turkish tourists will visit to see the
northernmost reaches of the former
Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman
troops controlled the castle between
1554 and 1593, making Fiľakovo
the Ottoman Empire’s only Sanjak
(county) seat in Slovakia’s current
territory. Fiľakovo has established
contacts with theTurkish city of
Edirne.
24 Hrad šomoška
(Šomoška Castle - ruins)
map F 5 110 km / 68 miles (104 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica Šiatorská Bukovinka 4 km
/ 2.4 miles NW of the castle 5 km / 3 miles
NW of the castle on the Slovak-Hungarian border,
above the village of Somoskő on the Hungarian
side, and Šiatorská Bukovinka on the Slovak side
non-stop free
The ruins of the remote Šomoška
Castle straddle the Slovak-
Hungarian border, above the village
of Somoskő on the Hungarian
side, and Šiatorská Bukovinka on
the Slovak side. Reached from
Slovakia only via a trail through a
beechwood forest, the castle was
originally built at the end of the 13th
century, and expanded in the 16th
century. Now, it looks as though
it were put together by balancing
chunky rocks on top of one another
with only a minimum of binding.
A stone sea and stone waterfall
are two of the most interesting
geological features along the traipse
up to the castle. These are best
described as precisely that: a wide
sea of rocks deposited on the hillside
by prehistoric upheavals, and a
four-million-year-old waterfall
formed when lava from a volcano
hardened on its descent. The ruin
itself is in remarkable condition,
crowned by a two-storey main
tower with apertures looking out on
the Hungarian village just below. A
necessary word of warning: this is
not a place to bring children. The
winds can be strong and there are
some very steep drops, without any
guardrails, onto jagged rocks.
25 rimavská soBota
map F 4 107 km / 67 miles (89 min) SE of
Banská Bystrica 24,640 Hlavné námestie 2,
Rimavská Sobota +421 (0)47 562-3645
www.rimavskasobota.sk 1 km / 0.6 mile NE of
centre 0.9 km / 0.6 mile NE of centre May:
Days of Rimavská Sobota
Kostol sv. Jána Krstiteľa
(Church of St John the Baptist)
Hlavnénámestie1,RimavskáSobota +421
(0)47563-1031www.rimavskasobota.sk
entrancehall Mon-Sat6:30,16:00,17:00Sun
7:00,8:00,9:30,11:00,17:00voluntary
Gemersko-malohontskémúzeum
(Gemer-MalohontMuseum)
Nám.MihályaTompu5,RimavskáSobota+421
(0)47563-2741 www.gmmuzeum.sk
Apr-Sep:Mon-Fri8:00-16:00,Sat-Sun9:00-16:00
Jan-Mar,Oct-Dec:Mon-Fri8:00-16:00€2 WC
Rimavská Sobota’s past is full of
hard luck. Whenever this southern
Slovak town looked like it might
flourish, it was put firmly back in its
place by fate, whether in the form
of a huge blaze in 1506, an invasion
by the Ottoman army in 1553 or a
cholera epidemic in 1831.
Rimavská Sobota, or Rimaszombat
in Hungarian, emerged in the
second half of the 11th
century
around a marketplace and the
Church of St John the Baptist. The
oldest written mention of the town
Rymoa Zumbota comes from 1271.
The town received its Hungarian
town privileges in 1335 and gained
historical importance during peace
negotiations between Czech and
Hungarian combatants at the end of
the Hussite era in the 15th
century.
Occupation by the Ottoman army
(1553-1593 and 1596-1686) over
Photo:EmanueleTerenzaniFiľakovoCastle(Photo:TASR)
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia 111
almost 130 years left a unique
collection of 256 Ottoman letters
and documents linked mostly to the
tax duties of the locals.
Rimavská Sobota features several
sacred buildings, including the
Church of John the Baptist, built
on the site of an original gothic
church featuring a notable painting
entitled The Beheading of John
the Baptist. This is cited as the
best work of Vincenz Fischer, an
Austrian painter. The main square
boasts a town hall, which dates
from 1801, and the old French-
style shire hall, which today
serves as a library.
The former military
infantry barracks today
house the Gemer-Malohont
Museum. Its main
attraction is the mummy
of an Egyptian woman from the
21st
-26th
and ruling dynasty from
the period 1087-664 BC.
26 číž (spa) page 224
27 cHyžné (gothic
church) page 212
28 šumiac
map F 3 84 km / 52 miles (51 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica 1,349 www.sumiac.sk
Múzeum zvoncov (Museum of Bells)
Bučinka 23, Šumiac +421 (0)48 618-1232
booking necessary
If bells are your thing, then a treat
awaits you in Šumiac, a village in
the foothills of the LowTatras.
There, beneath Kráľova hoľa
mountain, is a family museum
containing no fewer than 2,000 of
them. Not church bells, instead, the
kind that shepherds attach to their
sheep and cattle. They come from
all over the world: Switzerland,
Japan, Egypt, Mexico and Australia
are all represented. Accompanying
them are a collection of musical
instruments, sheepskin coats,
shepherds’ leather belts, and antique
folk costumes.
The museum is as much about its
owner, the redoubtable Mikuláš
Gigac, as his bells. He is a unique
individual, often decked out in
full folk costume and wielding
a traditional musical instrument
fujara (with intent).
29 muránska planina
map F 3 85 km / 53 miles (88 min) E of Banská
Bystrica Muráň Muráň 355 +421
(0)917 217-029 www.npmp.sk Area: 203.2 km2
€;
Highest point: Stolica (1,476 m / 4,842.5 ft)
July/August: Rodeo Muráň (horse riding and
country music festival)
Hrad Muráň (Muráň Castle - ruins)
map F 3 87 km / 54.2 miles (99 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica 4.3 km / 2.7 miles SW of castle
Muráň non-stop
Salaš Zbojská
map F 3 55 km / 34.2 miles (35 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica Pohronská Polhora
Hlavná 62, Pohronská Polhora
+421 (0)911 355-000 www.zbojska.sk
Mon-Sun 10:00-21:00 WC
Wild horses grazing freely on
meadows located in one of the
greenest spots of the country:
Welcome to National Park
Muránska planina, which
includes a mountainous
ridge about 28 km long and
26 km wide, surrounded
by a number of towns and villages
on what amounts to a beltway. The
highway, however, is anything but
an interstate.
The central tourist attraction,
Muráň Castle, requires an hour’s
walk up a steep 6.5 km / 3.7 miles
trail that starts from Muráň. The
reward for the climb is an authentic
ruin. There are no tour guides
or reconstructed courtyards with
armoured combatants entertaining
children. There is a crumbling
entrance gate, some crumbling
bulwarks and the outline of a
foundation for the 13th
century
fortress.
Muráň Castle, built to withstand
the maraudingTartars, ranks as
Slovakia’s third highest castle at
938 metres above sea level, and
is situated on the cliff of Cigánka
hill. Rebuilt in the 16th
century,
the castle fell into ruin after a 1702
fire and remains a destination for
hikers and a perfect site for avid
photographers – not so much to
take pictures of the castle but of the
stunning vistas surrounding this
rock-topped mountain.
More sedentary tourists may enjoy a
drive around the park, although this
is only permitted with a special pass
from the park administrator’s office,
located in Revúca.
Another option are tours on a
horse-drawn carriage available from
the Veľká Lúka stud farm which is
accessed from Muráň by a tourist
path beyond Muráň Castle. Salaš
Zbojská on the west end of the park
(on the 530 road) offers a good
starting place both to get a taste of
central-Slovak mountain life with a
helpful information kiosk that sells
sheep cheese and a folksy eatery
featuring traditional mountain
food. From there, the drive to
Tisovec and back up to Muráň
(where there is another information
office), delivers both stunning vistas
and a sense of undeveloped, rural
central Slovakia.
30 tisovec (historical
railway) page 287
31 micHalová
(agritourism) page 239
Museum of bells
in Šumiac
Photo:AmandaRivkinNationalParkMuránskaplanina
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/112 central slovakia
32 čierny Balog W
map E 3 50 km / 31 miles (46 min) E of Banská
Bystrica 5,227 www.ciernybalog.sk
Čiernohronská železnica (historical railway)
Hlavná 56, Čierny Balog +421 (0)48 619-1500
www.chz.sk May-Sep: Mon-Sun 9:00-18:00; Oct-
-Apr booking necessary from €5 WC
Čierny Balog is one of the largest
villages in Slovakia. It sprawls from
the southern Horehronie region
in the Čierny Hron valley, all the
way to the Slovenské rudohorie
mountain range. The first written
mention of the village is from 1607.
Since Čierny Balog is surrounded
by forests, most of its history is
connected with the timber industry.
The Dobroč primaeval forest, one
of the oldest in Europe, has been
officially protected since 1913.
To walk in this unique forest is
an intriguing experience. Nestled
among the forests in the Vydrovská
dolina valley, less than a kilometre
from the village, the Forestry Open-
Air Museum offers a three-kilometre
‘path of the forest time’ with almost
80 stations with information about
the forest and the work of foresters.
Vydrovo is also the site of numerous
events. The most popular attraction
in Čierny Balog is the historic
narrow-gauge Čiernohronská
railway. This railroad, designed to
transport timber out of the forest,
was built in 1908. It runs from the
Hronec village to Čierny Balog. The
first steam train began operating
on a 10-kilometre track in 1909.
At one point, the railway was 132
kilometres long and operated in the
adjacent valleys. The government
shut the railway down in 1982,
but it was reopened in 1992 as a
tourist attraction.Today, during the
peak season, visitors can take the
historical ride from Chvatimech
(located next to the main road
from Banská Bystrica to Brezno)
to the railway station and a small
museum in Čierny Balog and finish
the trip in the open-air museum in
Vydrovo. During the summer, it
is also possible to take a ride on a
steam-driven train.
33 Brezno
map E 3 45 km / 28 miles (39 min) NE of Ban-
ská Bystrica 21,894 Nám. gen. M. R. Štefánika
3, Brezno +421 (0)48 611-4221
www.brezno.skNovember:Ondrej’smarket
Horehronské múzeum (Horehronie Museum)
Námestie gen. M. R. Štefánika 55/47, Brezno
+421 (0)48 611-2453 Mon-Fri 8:00-16:00
www.horehronskemuzeum.sk€1 90 mins
Located almost precisely in the
centre of Slovakia, Brezno is the
heart of the Horehronie region. It is
surrounded by the hills of Slovenské
rudohorie to the south and the
LowTatras to the north. This
location makes the town a great
starting point for hiking or visiting
other interesting spots in the area.
The Hron River, ideal for rafting,
flows through the town. Brezno
was first mentioned in 1265, but
bronze artefacts indicate that it
was inhabited as far back as 1250
BC. In the 16th
century, the town
was besieged by the Ottomans,
but according to a legend, a knight
named Bombura saved the day and
defeated the invading armies.Today
the name Bombura remains in the
town’s sign as well as in the name of
its popular alternative-music club.
During the 20th
century, Brezno was
an industrial town with a thriving
steel industry.
In the town’s centre, the rectangular
M. R. Štefánik Square is ringed
by several historical buildings,
including the Roman Catholic
Church of the Assumption of
the Virgin Mary and the regional
Horehronie Museum. In the middle
of the square you can’t miss the
historical city tower. One of the
most important traditional events
in Brezno is Ondrej’s market at the
end of November.
34 Bystrianska
jaskyňa (Bystrianska
Cave)
map E 3 40 km / 24.6 miles (35 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica Bystrá, jaskyňa (0.2 km / 0.1
mile SE of the cave) The cave’s entrance
is about 120 metres from the car park +421
(0)48 619-5133
www.ssj.sk Jan-May, Sep-Oct: Tue-Sun 9:30-
14:00 (entrance every 90 min); Jun-Aug: Tue-Sun
9:00-16:00 (entrance every hour) €5
WC
The Bystrianska Cave is one of
the smaller Slovak caves that is
open to the public. The fantastic
shapes of the rock and the promise
of speleo-therapeutic treatments
make it one of the main tourist
attractions in the southern Low
Tatras. The cave’s total length is
more than 3,531 metres, of which
tourists can see 580 metres. It was
created by the underground section
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia 113
of the Bystrianka River, which flows
in from the southern slopes of the
LowTatras. Over the centuries, the
water and minerals have created
an interesting deposit in the cave
called Baldachin, which resembles
bats’ ears. The entrance to the cave
lies on the outskirts of the village of
Bystrá on the road from Podbrezová
to Liptovský Hrádok. It takes
five minutes to walk up from the
parking lot to the entrance.
35 tále W
map E 3 45 km / 28 miles (40 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica +421 (0)48 671-2512
www.tale.sk (golf course) Apr-Oct: Mon-Sun 9:00-
18:00; Jul-Aug: Mon-Sun 8:00-20:00; (ski resort)
Dec-Mar: Mon-Sun 9:00-16:00 Fri-Sat night skiing
18:00-21:00 from €30 (golf); from €13
(skiing) WC
Tále, a popular area for skiing in the
winter, becomes a hub for hikers
during the summer. Located 45
kilometres from Banská Bystrica,
it is a great place for hiking, sports
and relaxation. Built in 2002,
Gray Bear is an 18-hole master
golf course open to both amateurs
and professionals. Swimming
is available in an open-air pool.
There is a rope-climbing park.
For the more adventurous, a hike
to the Dead Bats’ Cave might be
just the thing. Well known in the
international golf community, Gray
Bear has attracted a number of
prestigious European tournaments
including the European Seniors
and the LPGA.The course fans out
from the clubhouse with fairways
running up the mountain and then
back down. Both the front and the
back nine each offer two of these
out and in circuits.
Each hole trumpets its own
personality, sometimes wide open,
sometimes foxy and treacherous,
and yet other times, narrow
and twisty. The course favours
those who handle their middle
irons authoritatively. Approaches
to the greens are guarded by
hazards including sand traps, rock
outcroppings, and a bevy of young
but growing pines and hardwoods.
Once the golfer achieves the dance
floor, the heavily contoured and
often multi-level greens resist
an easy up and down. And then
there is the distraction of wildlife
sightings and the ever present
vista of rolling hills and greener
than green forests. All in all, it is
a delightfully challenging golfing
experience.
Gray Bear has two hotels on the
property, a pleasant outdoor terrace
restaurant, a fully-stocked pro
shop, and golf bag and electric
cart rentals – although the
course’s materials promote itself
as a walking course. There is also
a golf academy, driving range, and
putting and pitching greens.
36 jaskyňa mŕtvycH
netopierov (Dead
Bats’ Cave) W
map E 3 51 km / 31 miles (47 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica Trangoška (2.3 km / 1.4 miles
W of the cave) +421 (0)905 135-535
www.jmn.sk booking necessary from €8
WC
In addition to caves run by the
Slovak Cave Administration
(SSJ), there are several privately
managed caves in Slovakia that
tend to offer visitors a more
authentic speleologist’s experience.
An example is the Dead Bats’
Cave. Instead of the fully
illuminated, well paved caves of
the SSJ, visitors must climb or
rappel down to the underground,
offering more of a feeling that you
are really exploring.
“The first thing we found here
were thousands of small bats’
bones, like nowhere else,” said
Milan Štéc, a caretaker of the
Dead Bats’ Cave, explaining its
name. This huge mountain cave
is situated 13 kilometres from
Bystrianska Cave and only one
kilometre from Ďumbier, the
highest peak of the Low Tatras.
Since 1981, Štéc and his team
have discovered the biggest
part of what now amounts to
21 kilometres of underground
passageway. The cave is not as
decorated as others, but it hides
remarkable chambers and also the
second largest underground space
in Slovakia. The Bystrický Dóm
is the size of a football field and is
40 m high.
Dead Bats’ Cave is not typical.
It is situated high in the
mountains and the number of
visitors is strictly limited; booking
in advance is essential.
Tour A offers a gentle
introduction with an
hour-long tour available to
anyone older than six, but
the more adrenaline-packed
tours B and C demand
good physical, technical
and mental condition. “It
is not for everybody,” said
Štéc. “Some people have
overestimated their abilities.”
You pass through the darkest
and deepest places equipped
only with a headlamp and a
protective suit, relying on your
skills when climbing over abysses
or crawling in very narrow clefts.
You climb on rope ladders and
clamber on wet and cold ground
with sleeping bats around your
head. A maximum of six people
take the tour together and no
children are allowed.
Photo:MichalRengevičCourtesyofGrayBearGolfResort
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/114 central slovakia
37 nízketatry W
(hiking,ski) page 144
38 Brusno (spa) page 224
39 slovenská ľupča
map E 3 12 km / 7.2 miles (12 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica 3,165 www.slovenskalupca.sk
Hrad (castle)
1 km / 0.6 mile NE of centre +421 (0)911
580-164 www.hradlupca.sk Jul-Aug: Tue-Sun
10:00-15:30 (entrance every 30 min); Sep-June
booking necessary 1 day beforehand €1
WC 30 min
The highest situated castle in the
Pohronie region towers over the
village of Slovenská Ľupča. The 13th
century edifice survived the raids
ofTartars and frequent changes of
owners. In the second half of the
14th
century, the castle was often
visited by Hungarian monarchs.
In June of 1443, the region
experienced a major earthquake
which destroyed much of the
castle. However, Ľupča was soon
repaired and presumably enlarged.
In the 18th
century, the castle lost
its significance as the administrative
centre of the area. An Austrian
garrison moved in and turned it
into a jail. After a fire in the second
half of the 19th
century, the castle
was only partly repaired and
by then it was utilised
as an orphanage and
a school. In 2002 the
castle, still reasonably
well preserved, was
purchased by the nearby
ironworks Železiarne
Podbrezová. The company
launched an extensive
reconstruction, eventually
opening the castle’s historical
sections to visitors and also making
it available for cultural and social
events. The reconstructed halls can
be rented for weddings and parties.
One of the castle’s attractions
is a lime tree whose huge trunk
measures 7.5 metres around. The
tree was named after Matthias
Corvinus who used to sit under it.
Presumably, this 700-year-old tree
has survived a major earthquake,
a fire, several windstorms and
innumerable lightning strikes.
40 kalište
(World War II) page 282
41 donovaly W
map E 3 25 km / 16 miles (25 min) NE of
Banská Bystrica 229 Nám. Sv. Antona
Paduánskeho 136, Donovaly +421 (0)48 419-9900
www.donovaly.sk
Park Snow Donovaly
Donovaly; mountains: Veľká Fatra / Nízke Tatry
www.parksnowdonovaly.eu Dec-Mar; altitude:
910-1,361 m / 2,986-4,465 ft; cable cars: 2; ski-lifts:
14; ski slopes: 11 km / 6.8 miles; snowpark; funpark
for children; night skiing; bars; bowling
Habakuky (fairytale world)
Donovaly-Mišúty +421 (0)48 410-3166 www.
habakuky.eu June 28-Sep 1: Mon-Sun 10:00-18:00
€8.5 (€5.5 children) WC
Though Donovaly has only a tiny
year-round population, it is one
of the most important centres for
winter and summer tourism in the
region. Thousands of tourists
visit it every year.
It has enormous
accommodation facilities, plenty
of parking and quality
equipment for winter
sports. Its key location on
the route connecting Banská
Bystrica with Ružomberok,
makes this vacation spot
one of the leading resorts
in Slovakia.
The first historical mention
of Donovaly was recorded in
1702. During World War II
it was an important link in the
anti-Nazi resistance. The village has
a long history of mining as it was
created out of seven settlements
of coalminers. Since 1945 there
has been a systematic decrease in
permanent residents because of the
lack of jobs.
Donovaly is an ideal place to learn
to ski and instructors at all levels are
available as well as 18 kilometres
of marked trails for cross-country
skiing. The Donovaly’s Riders Park,
a professional snowboard park,
serves as a training venue for the
Slovak snowboarding and acrobatic
skiing team. The village is also
renowned for its dogsled racing
championship. Among the many
winter offerings are paragliding,
air-boarding, snow-trekking,
snow-tubing, bungee activities,
snowmobiles, and an Eskimo safari.
The fairytale land of Habakuky,
with a name derived from
the Slovak fairytales of Pavol
Dobšinský, is located amid the
mountain scenery in Donovaly.
The park offers many sights and
events for children,
including fairy lairs,
dragon sculptures,
beleaguered
Slovenská Ľupča Castle
The fairytale land
of Habakuky
Photo:AmandaRivkin
CourtesyofParkSnowDonovaly
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia 115
princesses as well as guides dressed
as fairytale heroes. Kids can try their
hands at traditional crafts, listen
to fairytales read by professional
actors, enjoy themselves on the
playground, or watch theatre
performances in the amphitheatre.
The only currency accepted are
Habakuks (HBK) – golden and
silver coins which can be exchanged
for euros in the park. Food is
available in the restaurant U Paroma
and cabins are available to rent for
overnight stays.
42 špania dolina
map E 3 12 km / 7 miles (15 min) N of Banská
Bystrica 189 +421 (0)48 419-8271
www.spaniadolina.sk non-stop
This ancient village with a long
mining history lies near the
Staré Hory village and with its
picturesque houses and the beautiful
Church of theTransfiguration
dating back to 1254, attracts
many tourists. In Špania Dolina,
the typical 19th
century miners’
houses were whitened with lime.
The surrounding hills, once rich
in copper, offer a historic miner’s
hike with excursions into mines.
Mining activities diminished in
the 17th
century and eventually the
mines petered out completely by
1888. Špania Dolina then became
known for another craft – lace and
specifically the tradition of bobbin
lace. The most famous piece of
heritage from the mining years is a
tower called the Klopačka (or the
Clapper) from the 16th
century that
signalled to the miners whether or
not they should go to work that day.
Today, this is the site of an inn with
a restaurant. Špania Dolina is also
a hub for hiking, mountain biking,
and cross-country skiing trails.
43 Harmanecká
jaskyňa (cave)
map D 3 16 km / 10 miles (17 min) NW of
Banská Bystrica Horný Harmanec, jaskyňa (1.2
km / 0.8 mile SE of the cave)
+421 (0)48 419-8122 www.ssj.sk May 15-May
31: Sep-Oct: Tue-Sun 10:00-14:30 (entrance every
90 min); Jun: Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00 (entrance every
hour); Jul-Aug: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00 (entrance every
hour) €6 WC
The tour in Harmanecká Cave,
also known as White Cave,
shows visitors 1,020 metres of
the total 3,123 metres, during
which they can admire the soft,
white, pulpy sinter (a chemical
sediment deposited by amineral
spring), which is 40 to 80 percent
water. In many places, sinter
covers the walls and ceiling
of the cave or creates unique
dripstone formations. In its dry
form, it is a light, and porous,
powdery material. Look for huge
pagoda-like stalagmites, stony
waterfalls, draperies, sinter
lakes as well as asymmetric
stalagmites and eccentric,
thin stalactites, which are
twisted or in the form of
a spiral. The cave
is accessible from
the parking lot
in Harmanecká
dolina on the road
from Banská Bystrica
to Turčianske Teplice;
the marked trail takes
40 minutes to walk, and
is flanked by billboards that
tell visitors about the natural
surroundings.
44 skalka (ski) page 261
45 kremnica W
map D 4 51 km / 32 miles (37 min) SW of
Banská Bystrica 5,601Štefánikovo námestie
35/44, Kremnica +421 (0)45 674-2856
www.kremnica.sk
January: Biela stopa Kremnica (international
cross-country skiing competition); Big Air v
meste (jumps on skis or snowboard);
June: Music under the Diamond Vault
(classical music); July-August: Kremnica
Castle Organ; August: Kremnické
gagy (festival of satire and humour);
November: Town Anniversary
Often referred to
as the Golden Town,
Kremnica’s history of
gold and silver mining,
which paved the way for the
construction of Slovakia’s royal
mint in the town, is one of many
stories which make up Kremnica’s
rich and complex history. With
mining shafts dating back to
the 8th
and 9th
centuries, it is
thought that mining in the area
predated the establishment of
the town itself, with the first
written mention of the town
Cremnychbana dating to the
year 1328. Indeed, the riches
coming out of the mines and
the development of minting in
the town were reflected in the
construction of new buildings,
including the town castle, which
was built in the late 14th
century.
Although the early 16th
and 17th
centuries saw a steep decline in
the excavation of the gold, mines
remained open for centuries, and
through museums and historical
sights, mining, gold and minting
have remained central to the
town’s identity.
Photo:MichalRengevič
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/116 central slovakia - kremnica
1 Mestský hrad (Town Castle)
Zámocké námestie 1, Kremnica
+421 (0)45 674-3968
www.muzeumkremnica.sk May 18-Jun: Tue-Sun
9:00-12:00, 13:00-16:30; Jul-Sep 15: Tue-Sun
8:30-12:00, 13:00-17:30; Sep 16-Sep 30: Tue-Sun
9:00-12:00, 13:00-16:30; Oct-May 17: Tue-Sat 9:00-
12:00, 13:00-16:30 €2.69 WC
Kremnica’s town castle, some of
which dates back to the 13th
and
15th
centuries, is a distinctive
architectural monument of a
mediaeval settlement and is
comprised of a complex of seven
main buildings. Encircled by a
double fortification wall which
is considered to be one of the
best-maintained town walls in
Slovakia, the complex is constructed
around the late gothic St Catherine’s
Church. While the church is
thought to originate around the
13th
or 14th
centuries, its present
look is largely the result of extensive
renovations which took place
between 1883 and 1886.
The understated décor serves to
highlight the impressive gothic
architecture of the church, which
is adorned with carved leaves
and canopies on the sidewalls.
With much of the main ceiling
minimally decorated, the highly
detailed and vibrantly painted
stellar vault steals focus, and
visitors are advised to stand
underneath and admire the
four evangelists and 12
apostles painted in blue and
gold overhead. The church’s
altar is regarded as one of the
most valuable neo-gothic altars
in Slovakia with a height of
nine metres and width of four
metres. Painted on a backdrop
of brilliant gold, the paintings
on the altar are symmetrical,
with two smaller yet equally
detailed works placed on either side
of the central piece. In 1992, one
of the best organs in Slovakia was
installed in the church, which holds
concerts.
The church’s tower built
independently is open to the
public, and those willing to ascend
a winding staircase of 127 steps will
be rewarded with spectacular 360
degree views of the town below
and the distant mountains. In
addition to the views, there is also
a reconstructed room depicting the
watchmen’s chamber.
Other parts of the complex include
a miners’ bastion, a charnel-house,
and the northern tower, which
formerly acted as a united semi-
circular defence system.
2 Hlavné námestie (main square)
Štefánikovo námestie, Kremnica
exterior views only
Kremnica’s main square,
Štefánikovo námestie, sits in
the centre of the town, and is
surrounded by a plethora of
museums, historical sights and
hotels. Despite the demolition of
several houses following World War
II, most of the ornate and gothic
buildings were preserved, many of
which line the square today. Those
most acclaimed include the house
with the Diamond Vault, the
house with late gothic portals,
the Franciscan church and
monastery and the town hall.
Since the 14th
century, during
which time the castle was also
under construction, the town
square has held a central place
in Kremnica’s communal life.
From the year 1425, when the
town was afforded the right to
organise markets, the main square
became a centre of trade, but also
the town’s cultural and social heart.
The significance of the square
remains to this day, with
Slovakia’s mint and the
Museum of Medals and
Coins on opposite sites.
Arguably the most impressive
feature of the square is
the HolyTrinity column
commemorating the end of
the plague epidemic. A sight
of baroque craftsmanship, the
column was built between
1765-1772 by sculptor
Dionýz Stanetti, whose
works can be found in many Slovak
mediaeval mining towns, and
Austrian sculptor Martin Vogerle
of Bruck.
3 Mincovňa (mint)
Štefánikovo námestie 25/24, Kremnica +421
(0)45 678-7875
www.mint.sk May 15-Jun: Mon-Fri 9:00, 11:00
12:30 Sat (only old mint) 9:00, 10:00, 11:00;
Jul-Aug: Mon-Fri 9:00, 11:00, 12:30 Sat-Sun (only old
mint) 9:00, 10:00, 11:00; Sep-May 15: Mon-Fri 9:00,
11:00, 12:30 from €1.7
The mint in Kremnica, located
on the main square, has
been a functioning mint for
approximately 700 years,
3
2
Hlavné námestie
Mint
Neo-gothicaltarintheStCatherine’sChurch
Mainsquarefromthetowncastle
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/central slovakia - kremnica 117
making it one of the world’s oldest
permanently functioning factories.
Since the town was afforded coin-
minting privileges in 1328, the mint
has been producing money, and
was the only mint in the Austro-
Hungarian Empire at the end of
the 19th
century. During a tour of
the mint, visitors see an impressive
array of machinery, including over
100-year-old machines as well as the
machine which produced the first
coins of Czechoslovakia, dating to
1921. While the older machinery
can be viewed all year round, the
modern machines, currently used
to manufacture Slovakia’s euros
can only be viewed during their
sporadic operation.
Múzeum mincí a medailí
(Museum of Coins and Medals)
Štefánikovo nám. 10/19, Kremnica +421
(0)45 678-0308
www.muzeumkremnica.sk May 18-Jun: Tue-Sun
8:30-13:00, 14:00-16:30; Jul-Sep 15: Tue-Sun
8:30-13:00, 14:00-17:30; Sep 16-Sep 30: Tue-Sun
8:30-13:00, 14:00-16:30; Oct-May 17: Tue-Sat 8:30-
13:00, 14:00-16:30 €2.69 WC
The Museum of Coins and Medals
aptly complements the mint tour,
inviting visitors to see artefacts
ranging from national history to
displays of the process of minting
and centuries-old coins in glass
cabinets. On the lower floor,
utensils used for ore mining and
metallurgy can be viewed as well
as rocks of varying shapes and
sizes from the local mine. The
upper floors are mostly dedicated
to displays of coins, from
mediaeval currency to
modern-day euros.
Opevnenie (fortification)
Zámocké námestie, Angyalova and P.
Križku Streets, Kremnica exterior views only
The stone fortification wall
surrounds much of the town centre
and is linked to the construction
of the town castle. Built in the
15th
century, and in some places
measuring five to seven metres tall,
the wall protected Kremnica when
it was an important royal town.
In the 16th
century, the walls were
strengthened to protect residents
from the Ottoman invasions. With
two rotund bastions – one red
in the south-east corner, the
other black in the south-west
– the fortification remains
impressive, and its antiquated
structure prepares visitors
for much of the mediaeval
architecture found
within the town
walls. Previously,
the town
could be entered through three
gates – the Small, Lower and
Upper gates – however the Upper
and Small gates were demolished
between1872-1880.
Banské múzeum, Andrej štôlňa
(Mining Museum, Andrej Adit)
Banská cesta 803/27, Kremnica +421
(0)45 674-3144
muzeum.kremnica-gold.sk Mon-Fri 9:00-
15:00 (entrance every 120 min) Sat-Sun
13:00-15:00 (entrance every 120 min)
€4 WC
A visit to Kremnica’s Andrej
Adit, located a brisk 20 minutes
walk from the town centre, takes
visitors on a journey through
the town’s mining history. The
absolute darkness – aside from
the guide’s torch – combined with
transportation trolleys periodically
stationed along the rail tracks
transports visitors to another time
and allows guests to experience
the atmosphere of mining from as
far back as the 17th
century even
though the mine itself dates back
to 1982. The part open to visitors
is 660 metres long and in its
numerous horizontal tunnels there
are reconstructed scenes of mining
and miners’ workplaces throughout
the ages intended to give visitors a
comprehensive understanding of
a miner’s life from different time
periods. Also visible are flecks of
gold and numerous veins of quartz
etched into the rock of the tunnel’s
sides.
1
St Catherine’s
Church
Town Castle
Town Hall
(main square)
http://www.floowie.com/cs/cti/spectacular-slovakia-central-slovakia/