Baďan and Klastava
Baďan, a traditional farming village at the foot of Sitno, has barely 200 inhabitants, yet it is rich in culture, traditions, customs and well-preserved folk architecture.
Baďan first appears in written records in 1285 as Villa Bagun. A blacksmith, a miller, a maltster, a butcher, a carpenter, a stonemason and a shoemaker all had workshops here. Baďan is one of the prettiest villages in the region: its folk architecture is well preserved, from spring onwards it bursts with the colours of all kinds of flowers, and a babbling brook runs through the middle of the village.
The village lies in the caldera (former crater) of one of the largest volcanoes ever on Earth. Fifteen million years ago, the Supervolcano Štiavnica stood up to 5 km high and erupted with the force of 100,000 Hiroshima bombs. Periods of massive eruptions alternated with quieter spells, creating the conditions for rich ore veins to form. Gold, silver and other precious metals shaped the destiny of the area: the villages in the north mined them, while the villages in the fertile south supplied the miners with food and craft goods.
Families with children will appreciate the small park with wooden animal sculptures – each comes with a short description, so the park doubles as a place for younger children to learn about nature while they play. The easy nature and history educational trail ‘Po stopách predkov’ (‘In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors’), also suitable for bikes, presents genuine memories of local people on 9 information panels. You will learn about the quarry with its three types of andesite and about the Klastava mill, and visit some interesting geological sites. The trail starts in the village of Ladzany and ends at the Dobrá voda chalet by tajch Počúvadlo (a historic mining reservoir, also known as Počúvadlo Lake); it is 11 km long and takes about 5 hours on foot. From the end of the trail you can continue along the green waymarked route to the summit of legendary Sitno (1,009 m above sea level) – the climb takes about an hour.
More about the village: badan.sk
This small museum exhibition shows the traditional life and work of the people of Baďan in times gone by. It is furnished with old furniture, folk […]
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Excellent brooms for sweeping up leaves, clearing snow in a harsh winter or just everyday sweeping come from Baďan. Baďan birch brooms have been made for […]
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