Kozelník

A picturesque little village in the narrow valley of the Jasenica stream, along which runs the popular Štiavnická Anča cycle route.

Kozelník lies at an altitude of 390 m above sea level and has around 174 permanent residents. The roots of settlement here go back to the 15th century – the oldest charter, issued by King Sigismund of Luxembourg, mentions the settlement under the name Poruba. Because iron ore was processed in the local hammer mill, it was later called Železník, and since 1553 it has permanently borne the name Kozelník.

The always used to be a strategic transport hub. In the 18th century the imperial and royal postal and trade route Magna Via (the Great Road) passed this way, and right in the village there was a stagecoach and coaching station (horse-changing station), where carters rested and changed horses before the steep climb up to Banská Štiavnica.

Today the Štiavnická Anča cycle route passes through the village. It follows the track bed of the first narrow-gauge steam railway in the Kingdom of Hungary, dating from 1873, and so runs mostly on the flat alongside the Jasenica stream. A shelter awaits cyclists in the village. The route is still under construction – after rain, expect some sections to be difficult to pass.

The village’s landmark is a restored 19th-century bell tower, and its architectural gem is a modern ship-shaped chapel. Above the valley runs the Trať mládeže (Youth Railway), built in 1948–1949 by more than 47,000 young volunteer workers.