The Bethlehem of Štiavnica

Wooden moving Bethlehem of Štiavnica is one of the most beautiful and biggest ones in Slovakia. It depicts Christmas theme, the life of a medieval town and miners as well as metallurgists at work. The Bethlehem is 31 meters big and has 800 wooden figures. 400 of them move.

While listening to clattering of wooden stamp mills and the sounds of tens of chainrings making the wooden world alive, you will enter a perfect medieval mining town. You will find yourself in times of mining gold and silver, when miners were working hard in mining shafts while protected by mine dwarfs permoníks – the rulers of underground. You will see the panorama of Banská Štiavnica and its beautiful buildings. While walking through imaginary pavement, you will get to know medieval buildings still standing at their place, meet Salamander parade with a shepherd carrying a lizard, Štiavnica’s students and miners in little pubs, the character of Štiavnica Nácko with his legendary suitcase or a little train – Anča of Štiavnica.

Crafts were another part of everyday medieval town life. So, above Anča of Štiavnica, there are barrel-, tub-, wheel-makers, carpenters, furnacemen, stonecutters, brickmakers, handsaw, a mill, bakers, confectioners, butchers, pipe makers with a workshop manufacturing well-known “štiavničky” and many other crafts. At the very top, there is Štiavnica market with loud music.

The Bethlehem of Štiavnica can be found in the historical town centre on Radničné Square. It was made by Ing. arch. Peter Chovan, native of a small village near Banská Štiavnica. Though, it is far from finished, as Banská Štiavnica is an inexhaustible source of ideas, themes and inspiration for the author still completing and extending the artwork.

Opening hours

July – September

October – June

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