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Banska Stiavnica

Banska Stiavnica was granted S town charter during the reign of King Bela IV in the first half of the 13thcentury. It was built on steep hillsides, on terrain which man would prefer not to settle. Rich ore deposits with high concefltrat’on °f precious metals enabled incredible development of the town. Ore was mined for more than a thousand years and dozens of tons of gold and thousands of tons of silver left the town gates. The architectural, economic, cultural, and social development of Banska Stiavnica was inseparably connected with the prosperity and eventual decline of mining. The oh8'nal wooden constructions were replaced by stone buildings and, due to the limited space in the town centre, the settlement expanded into the surrounding hillsides. During times of great prosperity of mining, the Holy Trinity Square with the Plague Column from 1764 in its centre underwent considerable transformations. To this day, the square is considered the town's most important and most valuable architectural asset. Another special architectural site is the complex of sacral buildings erected between 1744 and 1751 on the steep slopes of Scharfenberg hill. Among the important landmarks of the town are also the Old Castle and the New Castle- Piarg Gate, and Klopacka - a tower with preserved wooden equipment that was used to summon miners to work. An exceptional feature of many of the town's landmarks is their association with former mining sites. One °f tbe most distinctive marks of the town is the construction and activity of mining plants directly in the residential areas. Entrances leading to old rnin'n8 tunnels can be found in the underground areas of many impressive Renaissance buildings. Of great importance to the town and the whole region was the decision of Empress Maria Theresa from December 13, 1762 about the establishment of a Mining Academy. The academy, which was |ater expanded by the addition of a Forestry Institute, is considered to be the first tec:hnical college in the world. During the 155 years of its existence, it trained thousands of first-class experts in mining, metallurgy, processing, forestry and natural sciences. Attention should also be given to the unique system of water reservoirs, the so-called tajchs, which were used to supply the necessary power to drain water from flooded mines. There were more than 60 of such reservoirs, comprising seven pendulum-action pumping Houices. To remarkable sights of the town belongs the Botanical Garden cultural public as a visible record of architecture, history, and ecology. Visitors of the town and its surroundings can study the developments of architectural styles and the influence of more than thousand years of the influx of settlers in the region. The museums and archives of Banska Stiavnica contain exceptional materials documenting the history of the town and its overall importance to world civilisation. Stiavnica itself is tangible and difficult to overlook proof of the creative work of man against the background of the incredibly valuable symbiosis between man and nature.