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.
The famous mining village of Štiavnické Bane (originally Piarg) has several educational trails:1. Piargska špacírka (the ‘Piarg Stroll’) is the newest history trail in the village. […]
Zaľúbená Štiavnica (Štiavnica in Love) is an experience game that lets you discover the real places where, almost 200 years ago, the true story of the […]
Tajch Ottergrund will charm you with its view down the valley to the historic town centre. For the best photos, climb the hill behind the tajch, […]
This Baroque town palace was once the seat of the Mining Court. Today the Slovak Mining Museum displays its exceptional mineralogical collection here. The collection of […]
The Kammerhof is the largest historic building complex in town. As early as the 16th century it was the seat of the mining administration, headed by […]
This was the first mining academy and one of the first technical academies in the world. It was founded by Maria Theresa in 1762, building on […]
Miners were once called to work by the knocks of a wooden mallet on a wooden board. Five mining knocking towers survive in Slovakia, and two […]
Three tajchs (historic mining reservoirs) in a single photograph – that is one way to enjoy a trip to tajch Bakomi. Just above it, on a […]
In winter the tajchs (historic mining reservoirs) turn into beautiful natural ice rinks. You can play ice hockey (on tajch Červená studňa) or enjoy night skating […]