UNESCO Heritage
Banská Štiavnica, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is one of Slovakia’s jewels – a place where a rich history meets remarkable architecture and technical monuments.
The town is known for its historic buildings, such as the Old Castle, originally a Romanesque church rebuilt as a fortress, and the New Castle, a renaissance Watchtower, both of which dominate the town’s skyline. St Catherine’s Church, also known as ‘the Slovak Church’, is another important monument that reflects the spiritual life of the townspeople.
A unique feature of the region is the tajchy – man-made water reservoirs built in the 18th century to supply water to the mines. There were originally 60 of them; 24 survive today and are used for recreation, making them popular places for swimming and relaxing. The Calvary, a Baroque gem built on Scharffenberg Hill, is another of the town’s landmarks. This complex of 23 separate buildings offers visitors not only a spiritual experience but also wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. A stroll through the town’s narrow lanes reveals a wealth of burgher houses, churches and other historic buildings that together create a truly unique atmosphere. Every corner of Banská Štiavnica tells its own story, just waiting to be discovered.
Construction of this tajch (a historic mining reservoir) began in 1735 under the direction of Samuel Mikovíni. It was completed in 1737 and cost more than […]
Tajch Bakomi, a tajch (a historic mining reservoir), was built between 1735 and 1737. According to Baron Ján Nepomuk Mitrovský, it was needed to make better […]
The Stankay water adit on the Colloredo auxiliary ditch was built around 1828. It carried water from beneath Pinkov vrch to tajch Evička (a historic mining […]
Work on driving this tunnel began in 1738, at the same time as construction of the Richňava tajch (a historic mining reservoir). The tunnel was surveyed […]
The Upper Bakomi Adit was originally called St Pachomius Adit. It carried water from the 2,750-metre Upper Dekýš Ditch from the Vindšachta side of Štiavnické Bane […]
Only two hills dominate the fairly flat landscape of the Kopanice plateau: Hrb and Banište. Hrb is slightly higher and has a wooded summit, while Banište […]
This tajch (a historic mining reservoir) lies at an altitude of 630 m. It was built in 1740–1743 to serve the Moderštôlňa mines and fulfilled its […]
The Mayer II Shaft stands on the site of Dolnohodrušský banský závod at the mouth of the Jelšová valley. It was sunk for the construction of […]
The John the Baptist Adit is located next to the administration building of the Dolná Hodruša mining works. It forms the 2nd level of the Schöpfer […]