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Insider guide to Banska Stiavnica Slovakias prettiest town

Friends who are familiar with the Czech Republic should have heard the Czech Český Krumlov and České Budějovice

But you may not have heard that Slovakia also has two very beautiful locations, Banská Štiavnica and Banska Bystrica

Among them, Český Krumlov and Banská Štiavnica have the same purpose

In addition to the fact that they are both world cultural heritage sites, even the terrain is a mountain city with ups and downs.

Banská Štiavnica is special because it was a mining center in the Middle Ages

In addition to being the richest town in Europe in the past, it also had the world’s first mining university

Although the gold rush is gone now, many tourists still visit here in midsummer every year

Because of the beauty of this city, it is different from other cities in Slovakia!

Banská Štiavnica (Banská Štiavnica)

Located in central Slovakia, about two hours drive from the capital Blatislava

In the past, because it was located near the crater, it was rich in natural ore

So this medieval mining city was created

Banská means mining in Slovak

So less than an hour’s drive from it, there is also a Banská Bystrica

Although not as famous as BS, it used to be a beautiful mining city

The two ancient cities still retain the style of the Middle Ages.

And the drive takes less than an hour, which is very suitable for connecting them together for tourism

Banská Štiavnica’s play routes are divided into two types

The first is the walking route in the old city, starting from the main square to the surrounding ancient castles, new castles, botanical gardens and other attractions

It takes about 10-15 minutes to walk between each scenic spot, although the time is not long

But because the terrain is high and low hillsides, it also requires a little foot strength

Banská Štiavnica is full of undulating terrain

You can climb a small hill in the city

How does the slope of the mountain city make the photo crooked?

classic mountain scenery

The second is to take the hop-on and hop-off train starting from the main square.

This small train is similar to a sightseeing bus and can be hopped on and off.

The attractions include the far mining museum, Kalvária church and railway station

Boarding location, Holy Trinity Main Square

 

🚶‍♀️ Within walking distance to attractions:

  1. Holy Trinity Main Square (Námestie Svätej Trojice)

The square can be said to be the starting point of all European cities

In addition to the visitor center, there are many restaurants and shops here

There are even craft stalls to browse during the holidays

It’s just that the slope here is very steep, and those who are inconvenient are not recommended to take this route

The yellow building on the right is the visitor center

If you need any help or ask for a map, you can go to

It is worth mentioning that there is a 75m mining tunnel (Štôlňa Michal) under the visitor center building

The reviews on the Internet are quite good, and the summer is quite cool

There is also a simple mining museum to visit

Interested friends can go to https://www.banskastiavnica.travel/co-vidiet/zem-banikov/stolna-michal/  to view

 

 

  1. Old Castle (Starý Zámok) and New Castle (Nový zámek)

Go up along the main square and turn right, about 10-15 minutes walk, you can reach the ancient castle

The castle’s stone gate is the oldest in the city

It is currently mainly used for exhibitions, and the content is mainly related to the past town history and mining knowledge

We didn’t go inside the castle because I think the scenery outside is more charming

The scenery of the mountain city is beautiful, except for the spiers and brick houses with European characteristics

The ups and downs of the terrain also make the scenery more layered

And you can see the new castle in the distance

 

The new castle is about 15-20 minutes walk from the old castle

At present, there is also an exhibition of military equipment used to defend Turkey in the past.

If the content of the exhibition there is not very attractive to you

Then go to climb a mountain to see the scenery. From the new castle, you can look back at the old town.

It’s also a good camera angle.

 

 

  1. World Heritage Wall (Zlatá salamandra)

The location of this wall is opposite the city hall

Although it is not a well-known scenic spot in Banská Štiavnica

But because of the UNESCO diamond logo and three-dimensional relief

The rating on google maps is also much higher

The wall was created by local artist Vladimir Oravec

Mainly describe the glorious past and historical stories of this town

Salamandra means lizard in Slovak

There are also many patterns of lizards that can be seen in this wall

With gold in their mouths, I wonder if it is because of them that this city has caused a gold rush?

This picture feels like the origin

On the undulating volcanic terrain of Banská Štiavnica, there are many mining workers

There are also many well-known metallurgical experts

This should be the world’s first mining academy

Those who will be next to the school should be famous people

 

 

  1. Bank of Love (Banka Lásky)

In this city famous for gold rush, if we can add a little “love” element

The city wouldn’t be so blunt and cold

I think maybe that’s why this bank is here

This bank is also the only bank in the world that stores “love”

But rather than a bank, it can also be said to be an experience hall

 

 

The origin of this bank is that a Slovak writer Andrej Sládkovič wrote a poem to his lover Marína

The two of them were not married because the heroine ended up marrying someone else

And this poem was written for 2 years (1844-1846), with a total of 291 sections and 2900 sentences

Registered by the World Record Academy in 2017 as one of the longest love poems in the world

In order to let everyone know about this poem, the founder raised money to restore the House of Marína

Make each line of the poem a tunnel-like scene

Pay attention, every word on this wall is a box

And you can spend some money to store your “love” souvenirs here

Save 50 Euros for a year, or 100 Euros for a lifetime

It also advertises that the storage of items is absolutely safe, because after all, it is carved out of hard ore with a history of 500 years.

And with the protection of the World Heritage Organization, things will never disappear casually.

In addition to the concept of “bank”, there is also a love dashboard

Love Balloon Corridor, Love Post Office and other interesting facilities

It is even possible to see the precious original manuscript of the poem Marína written by Sládkovič

It is really a bank and experience hall with a lot of content

In addition to being nominated for the 2021 European Museum of the Year Award, the bank

Also ranked second in Tripadvisor for the Banská Štiavnica region

Said that in addition to the approval of experts, it is also liked by many tourists

I also recommend it to everyone here, if you have time, you can visit it!

 

 

🚂Sightseeing train (Štiavnická Anča) passes by attractions:

The above four attractions are the ones we have actually visited within walking distance

Next, if you have extra time, it is recommended to take the sightseeing train on the main square

The small train can take you to famous scenic spots far away, saving you from the tiredness of walking

And one ticket can get on and off the bus at will within one day, which is really very convenient for travelers without a car

 

 

5.Botanical Garden and Mining Institute (Banská Štiavnica Botanical Garden)

I don’t know if everyone will think it’s strange, but I’m inexplicably introducing what the botanical garden does.

To be honest, when I write the article, I have many doubts like everyone else.

Because of this scenic spot, not only the sightseeing train will pass by, but there is also a special introduction on the official website

I feel like there should be something special about him

After clicking in for details, I realized that this botanical garden is the location of the world’s first mining college.

The gate of the Mining Academy is very imposing

This mining college was founded in 1762 by Queen Teresa of Austria-Hungary

At that time, there were the best mining professors in the world, and the education level can be said to be the highest level in Europe.

In addition to being a leader in professional fields, this school is also built in the current Renaissance style.

It was later merged with Forestry College, called Mining and Forestry College, and currently the campus is used by local high schools

In addition to the school, there are many tall redwoods and Japanese cedars in the botanical garden

In the park full of greenery, it is very suitable for you who are tired from walking in this high and low mountain city to take a rest for a while

If you visit in autumn, the botanical garden will become golden everywhere, it should be a very beautiful scene

 

*The botanical garden can also be visited for free by walking from the main square for about 6-10 minutes

 

  1. Open Pit Mining Museum (Banské múzeum v prírode)

This mining museum has been open since 1974, and it is an old museum that has passed almost half a century

This is a must-see attraction for the sightseeing train, so it is also one of the well-known landmarks in this area

This museum can buy tickets to visit the static exhibits in the museum by yourself

But if you want to visit the mining tunnel, you must match the tour time

Put on the helmet, cape and lamp given to you by the organizer

They will lead you to visit inside the tunnel

There are quite a few guided tours of this type in Europe

We have participated in a similar event in Hallstatt, Austria before

In addition to the mine tour that you can actually experience, there are many very valuable exhibitions in the museum

For example water column hoisting machine and Educational Geological Exhibit

If you have friends who are interested in nature or mining, it is recommended to come here to have a look

Guaranteed you will benefit a lot!

 

 

  1. Calvary Church (Slovak: Kalvária)

The landmark of Calvary can also be seen from a distance down the mountain

The red church stands very conspicuously on the hill, symbolizing the spiritual indicators of local residents

I thought he was just a normal church

Unexpectedly, the term Calvary represents the various places in the Bible, which is the place where Jesus was crucified.

Of course, it is not the real Jesus Christ who suffered here, but the churches built by Christians all over the world to commemorate

Calvary is usually built on a small hill, and there will be scenes of Jesus being crucified in the church

The following is an aerial panorama. There are 18 large, medium and small churches from the bottom church to the top.

These churches all illustrate the process of Jesus’ crucifixion and the seven sufferings of the Virgin Mary.

This road can also be called the way of the cross.

Calvary is open all year round and free (only the bottom church has open internal visits, and the rest of the churches can only be seen through the windows)

 

There is a visitor center at the foot of Chapel Hill where you can ask for information

 

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