Banske Štiavnice, or Banská Štiavnica, lies in the heart of the forests of Štiavnické vrchy Mts and is named as a UNESCO World Heritage site. With a population of 10,900, this former mining town is among the most beautiful and one of the most historically interesting Slovakian towns.
Banske Štiavnice is a central Slovakian town right at the center of a massive caldera formed after an ancient volcano collapsed. The caldera with its immense size is called the Štiavnica Mountains. The town managed to preserve its medieval look and feel. Thanks to its historical value, UNESCO proclaimed the town as well as its surrounding area as a World Heritage Site on the 11th of December 1993.
Enchanting Nighttime View of the Historic Center of Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia
A Glimpse of History
Banske Štiavnice’s fate has a close connection to the exploitation of silver ore which has abundant resources throughout the town. It was during the Neolithic period when the town was first settled based on evidence from excavations.
The Celts founded the initial mining settlement during the 3rd century BC with the Celtic Cotini tribe probably occupying it. The Roman authors talked about the Cotini’s mining activities. The Cotini lived in the area which is currently central Slovakia until their deportation to Pannonia in Rome’s Marcomannic Wars.
The early Hungarians also settled in the site, with an old Hungarian fortified settlement also located in the area during the 10th and 11th centuries. This site was known as terra banensium or the land of minerals ever since 1156.
Historic Town of Banska Stiavnica – UNESCO World Heritage Site
The local Slavic residents named the settlement in the valley Štiavnica or acidic steam. The settlement located on the hill above, the shiny mountain Glanzenberg or Ligotavá hora, was soon named Bánya or the mine.
Schebnyzbana, the single common name, was first documented in 1255. Skilled German settlers joined the local Slavic population when they arrived during the 13th century. The German settlers adapted the area’s local name to the German term Schemnitz. It was in 1238 when Banske Štiavnice gained a royal town status as among the Kingdom of Hungary’s first towns.
Banská Štiavnica was the primary producer of gold and silver in the Kingdom of Hungary during the High and Late Middle Ageas. The Turks made intensive efforts during the Ottoman Wars to conquer Upper Hungary’s rich mining towns of Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica, and Kremnica.
Due to the new threat, Banske Štiavnice built strong fortifications in the 16th century which included two castles. As among the most significant centers of the country’s Protestant Reformation, the town was part of the Protestant “League of Seven Mining Towns” which also included Banská Bystrica, Banská Belá, Kremnica, Nová Baňa, Pukanec, and Ľubietová.
The town was also the mining industry’s leading center of innovation. Gunpowder was used in a mine there in 1627 for the world’s first time right after Le Thillot in France. A complex system of water channels and reservoirs called tajchy was designed and constructed in the 18th century by local scientists Maximilian Hell, Samuel Mikovíny, and Jozef Karol Hell to help in draining water from flooded mines. Tajchy not only prevented the closure of the mines but it also produced energy for industrialization’s early phase.
Samuel Mikoviny founded its Mining Academy in 1735 as the Kingdom of Hungary’s first mining school. Vienna’s Hofkammer with Queen Maria Theresa’s support turned the school into the Academy of Mining starting in 1763.
The Forestry Institute was constructed under Emperor Franz I’s decision in 1807. The school was then renamed in 1848 into the Academy of Mining and Forestry, the world’s first-ever technical university.
After Czechoslovakia was established in 1919, the Academy was relocated to Sopron, Hungary. The Academy’s study traditions continue to live in its successors, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava and the University of Miskolc, as well as in Sopron’s colleges, Dunaújváros, and Székesfehérvár.
Banske Štiavnice was the Kingdom of Hungary’s third largest town following Pozsony or modern-day Bratislava and Debrecen. However, the development of the town was extremely connected to the mining activity that progressively declined since the 19th century’s second half.
Today, the town serves as a vital hub of tourism and recreation, exploiting its rich and extensive historical heritage.
Significant Landmarks in Banská Štiavnica
The historical Trinity Square with a monumental plague column dominating it is the heart of Banská Štiavnica. The square hosts cultural events and a mineralogical museum is also located there. Two castles, known as the new and old ones, have been turned into museums.
There is also an open-air mining museum offering an underground excursion with a length of 1.5km in 17th-century mines. Visitors are given helmets, lamps, and cloaks to wear and use throughout the tour. You can also request a guide who speaks Hungarian, German, or English if requested ahead of time.
Banske Štiavnice is a town with approximately 10,000 people
The public can also visit an even older ancient mine. The mine is located right below the town center and has already attracted lots of renowned visitors including Prince Albert of Monaco and Emperor Joseph II.
Ancient artificial reservoirs of mining water known as tajchy surround the entire town. There were 60 reservoirs constructed from the 15th to the 18th century to provide energy to the thriving industry of mining. These reservoirs are linked by a network of channels that stretch 100km long. These amazing historical monuments are currently used only for recreation.
A complex of chapels and churches is also found in Kalvária Banská Štiavnica near Ostry vrch that Jesuits built during the 18th century.
The Town Monument Reserve includes the historic center’s buildings. Up to 360 structures make up the Banská Štiavnica reserve. Together, these structures present a one-of-a-kind set of high historical and cultural value set into the grandiose surroundings of the Štiavnické vrchy Mts.
Wrapping It Up
Banske Štiavnice might have ceased its operation as a mining town but its interesting history continues to be felt and seen in almost every nook and corner to remind locals and visitors of its rich bygone days.
