Banská Štiavnica

Banská Štiavnica in the middle of the Štiavnické vrchy mountains in central Slovakia is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The former mining town of Banská Štiavnica (population 10,900) is one of the most beautiful and historically attractive towns in Slovakia. Mining of noble metals in the central part of Štiavnické vrchy has a very long history. Already in a document from 1156 this area is mentioned as Terra Banensium, land of miners. Among the mined ores, silver predominated and that is why Banská Štiavnica was also called the "silver town". In the 18th century, Banská Štiavnica became the largest center of precious metal mining in the entire Habsburg Monarchy. Gradually mining education and science settled here. In 1735, the oldest mining school in Hungary was founded here, and in 1762, thanks to Empress Maria Theresa, it was elevated to the status of a mining academy - the first of its kind in the world. In 1846 it was merged with the Forestry Academy, which was founded in 1808. The old glory and prosperity returned to the town and by the end of the 18th century Banská Štiavnica was the third largest town in Hungary with 23 thousand inhabitants. The monuments in the historical center of the town are part of the town monument reserve. There are 360 monument objects in the Banská Štiavnica municipal monument reserve. Together they form a complex of unique cultural and historical value, which is also embedded in the beautiful surroundings of the Štiavnické vrchy mountains.

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