UNESCO World Heritage Site
in the middle of Slovakia
Over the centuries, the town of Banska Stiavnica was visited
by many outstanding engineers and scientists who contributed to its fame.
The old medieval mining centre grew into a town with Renaissance palaces,
16th-century churches, elegant squares and castles. The urban centre
blends into the surrounding landscape, which contains vital relics of the
mining and metallurgical activities of the past.
History: The town of Banska Stiavnica, the
oldest mining town in Slovakia, was established in the 13th century,
although evidence of mining dates back to the late Bronze Age. While it
served as an important town during the Middle Ages, the surviving urban
centre was formed during the 16th century.
Mining: The establishment of the first Mining and
Forestry Academy in Europe in 1762 demonstrates the importance of this
town as a centre for the education of mining experts. Moreover, an
extensive complex of technical works, connected with mining and processing
of polymetallic ores, can be found in the town and in its vicinity.
Surviving components include shafts, tunnels, mining towers, a knocking
tower, and a sophisticated water management system. The system of
artificially built water reservoirs, ponds and collecting ditches, built
in the 16th century and developed in the 18th century, served the needs of
the mining industry and provided fresh drinking water for the town. It was
the most modern work of its type until the 19th century.
