Banská Štiavnica
A World Heritage silver-mining town set in an ancient caldera, with tiers of red roofs, castles, lakes and mine tunnels nearby, plus easy trips to Banská Bystrica and Kremnica.
Banská Štiavnica lies in central Slovakia, inside an ancient volcanic caldera in the Štiavnica Mountains. From the Middle Ages it was the most important silver-mining town in the Kingdom of Hungary, in the 18th century it was the kingdom's third-largest city, and it founded one of the world's first mining academies. In 1993 the historic town and the technical monuments in its surroundings were inscribed as a World Heritage Site. The old town is built on steep hillsides, its red-roofed houses stacked in tiers; the main sights — the Old Castle, Holy Trinity Square with its plague column, the New Castle, the Piarg Gate and the Klopačka bell tower — can all be linked on foot, but the town is hilly, so wear comfortable shoes. Not to be missed are the Calvary pilgrimage hill northeast of town and the open-air Mining Museum to the southwest, where you can don a helmet and go down a mine shaft. Dozens of artificial lakes, known as tajchy, were built around the town in the 16th–18th centuries to serve the mines; in summer you can swim and boat on them, with Počúvadlo the liveliest, and from there you can hike up Sitno. Nearby, you can also visit the Svätý Anton manor house and the cave thermal bath at Sklené Teplice, and within about an hour's drive, the historic mint in Kremnica, Banská Bystrica and the wooden church at Hronsek. Spring, summer and autumn are all good times to visit; July–August is the busiest, September brings the Salamander miners' parade and the St Hubert hunting festival, and December has a Christmas market. It is about 2.5 hours by car from Bratislava; by train you need to change at Hronská Dúbrava. Plan on staying 2–3 nights.
Top sights
- Old Castle – A fortress castle converted from a 13th-century Romanesque church. It houses museum exhibits, and from its towers you can look over the red…
- New Castle – A 16th-century white Renaissance defensive tower, a landmark of the city skyline. From the top floor you can look out over the old town and…
- Holy Trinity Square – The main square of the old town, sloping down the hillside. A Baroque plague column stands in the center, surrounded by the mansions of wea…
- Calvary of Banská Štiavnica – A Baroque pilgrimage hill built in the mid-18th century on a volcanic cone. Upper and lower churches and a line of Stations of the Cross ch…
- Open-Air Mining Museum – Put on a helmet and headlamp and go deep into the 17th-century Bartolomej mine, and learn about the hardships of centuries of silver mining.
- Piarg Gate – A medieval town gate completed in 1554, the only surviving city gate of Banská Štiavnica, with a defence exhibition inside.
- Klopačka – A miners' clock tower from 1681; in the past, wooden mallets struck boards to call miners to work, and today it houses a small mining exhib…
- Church of St. Catherine – A late Gothic church from the late 15th century, known as the Slovak Church, where the poet Andrej Sládkovič once lingered.
- Kammerhof – Slovak Mining Museum – Former seat of the royal mining administration, now home to exhibits on Slovakia's mining history and intricate machine models.
- Glanzenberg Adit – A medieval silver mine tunnel beneath the Old Town; step from the town centre straight into a centuries-old ore vein and see the original m…
- Botanical Garden – A tree garden founded in 1838 by the forestry academy, with many exotic species; a quiet green space in the Old Town.
- Počúvadlo Lake – An artificial lake built in the 18th century to supply water to the mines, surrounded by forest; a place to swim and row in summer, and the…
- Richňava Lakes – A pair of forest lakes made up of two tajchs, among the largest mining reservoirs in the area, suitable for swimming and walking around the…
- Hodruša Lake – An old tajch in the valley west of the Old Town, with emerald-green water and a quiet setting, which can be visited together with the Hodru…
- Sitno – At 1,009 metres, the highest peak of the Štiavnica Mountains; the summit has castle ruins and a lookout tower, and legend says a sleeping b…
- Svätý Anton Manor House – A mid-18th-century Baroque aristocratic manor known for its hunting collection and French-style gardens, once owned by Bulgaria's last roya…
- Sklené Teplice Cave Spa (Parenica) – The Parenica cave spa: thermal steam baths inside a natural cave, where spring water at about 42°C creates a unique natural sauna.
- Kremnica & Kremnica Mint – A medieval gold-mining town whose mint, in continuous operation since 1328, is considered one of the world's oldest; its castle and square…
Where to eat
- Pivovar ERB – A craft brewery converted from a former synagogue. Slovak dishes are served beside copper brewing kettles, and it is fe…
- Na Kopci – A hillside terrace restaurant said to have the best view in town, overlooking the old and new castles and Trinity Squar…
- Monarchia – A popular restaurant in the Old Town with a nostalgic feel, serving modern takes on regional dishes. It has indoor and…
- Kachelman – A homestyle restaurant in a 16th-17th century townhouse. Diners eat sheep cheese dumplings and grilled trout beside the…
Itineraries
- Grand Slovakia Road Trip Loop – A complete loop starting from Bratislava, connecting castles, three major mountain ranges, and historic towns in the ea…
- Krakow to Budapest via the Tatras – Head south from Poland's ancient capital, cross the Tatra Mountains, travel through eastern and central Slovakia, and f…