Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica), Slovakia

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica) highlights

Known for medieval old town

historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Banská Štiavnica is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as the Štiavnica Mountains. Banská Štiavnica is a completely preserved medieval town. Because of their historical value, the town and its surroundings were proclaimed by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993.

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica), Slovakia
Monterrasol private car tours to

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica), Slovakia
Monterrasol private car tours to

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica), Slovakia
Monterrasol private car tours to

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica), Slovakia
Monterrasol private car tours to

⇦ ⇨

Other places in Slovakia that we are familiar with

Spiš (Spis) - Known for castle, museum; castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Last reviewed: 23 May 2020

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica) description

The fate of Banská Štiavnica has been closely linked to the exploitation of its abundant resources of silver ore. According to evidence from excavations, the site was settled during the Neolithic period.

The first mining settlement was founded by Celts in the 3rd century BC. It was probably occupied by the Celtic Cotini tribe. Roman authors mentioned mining activities of the Cotini, who had lived in present-day central Slovakia until they were deported to Pannonia within the Marcomannic Wars by Rome. The site was also settled by early Slavs and an old Slovak fortified settlement was situated here in the 10th and 11th century. The site was called “terra banensium” (the land of miners) as early as 1156. The local population gave the name "Štiavnica" (acidic stream) to the settlement in the valley, and the settlement on the hill above came to be called "Bana" (the mine). Banská Štiavnica gained the status of a royal town in 1238, as one of the first towns in the Kingdom of Hungary.

In the High and Late Middle Ages, the town was the main producer of silver and gold in the Kingdom of Hungary. During the Ottoman Wars, the Turks made concerted efforts to conquer rich mining towns in Upper Hungary (towns Banská Štiavnica, Banská Bystrica, and Kremnica). This new threat led Banská Štiavnica to build powerful fortifications, including two castles, in the 16th century. As one of the most important centers of the Protestant Reformation in the country, the town belonged to the Protestant "League of Seven Mining Towns" together with Banská Belá, Banská Bystrica, Kremnica, Ľubietová, Nová Baňa, and Pukanec.

The town was also a leading center of innovation in the mining industry. In 1627, gunpowder was used there in a mine for one of the first times in the world (After Le Thillot, France). To drain water from the flooded mines, a sophisticated system of water reservoirs and channels, known as tajchy, was designed and built by the local scientists Jozef Karol Hell, Maximilian Hell, and Samuel Mikovíny in the 18th century. Tajchy not only saved the mines from being closed, but also provided energy for the early phase of industrialization.

In 1782, Banská Štiavnica was the third biggest town in the Kingdom of Hungary, after Pozsony (today Bratislava) and Debrecen. But the town's development was too closely linked to the mining activity which had been progressively declining since the second half of the 19th century. Nowadays, Banská Štiavnica is an important center of recreation and tourism, benefiting from its rich historical heritage.

Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica) related tours

Sorry, we have no any pre-designed tour passing trough this place yet. If you would like to visit this place, please contact us.