Banská Štiavnica
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Banská Štiavnica (Hungarian: Selmecbánya, German: Schemnitz) is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as Štiavnica Mountains (Štiavnické vrchy). Banská Štiavnica has a population of 10,600 (2002). It is a completely preserved medieval town. Because of their historical value, the town and its surroundings were proclaimed by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993.
History
The fate of Banská Štiavnica has been closely linked to the exploitation of its abundant resources of silver ore. According to evidence from excavations, the site was settled during the Neolithic period.The first mining settlement was founded by Celts in the 3rd century BC. It was probably occupied by the Celtic Cotini tribe. Roman authors mentioned mining activities of the Cotini, who had lived in central Slovakia until they were deported to Pannonia within the Marcomannic Wars by Rome. The site was also settled by early Slavs/Slovaks and a Slovak fortified settlement was situated here in the 10th and 11th century.
In the High and Late Middle Ages, the town was the main producer of silver and gold in the Kingdom of Hungary (Slovakia was part of that kingdom from the 11th century until 1918). The town was called “terra banensium” (the land of miners) as early as in 1156. The original Slovak population was joined by skilled German settlers who started arriving in the 13th century. Banská Štiavnica gained the status of a royal town in 1238, as one of the first towns in the Kingdom of Hungary.
During the Ottoman Wars, the Turks made concerted efforts to conquer rich mining towns in central Slovakia (Banská Štiavnica, Banská Bystrica, and Kremnica). This new threat led Banská Štiavnica to build powerful fortifications, including two castles, in the 16th century.
The town was also a foremost center of innovation in mining industry. In 1627, gun powder was used here for the first time in the world in a mine. In 1735, the first mining school in the country was founded there by Samuel Mikovíny. Queen Maria Theresa transformed it into the Mining Academy in 1762, thus creating the first institution of higher technical education in the world. In 1919, after the creation of independent Czechoslovakia, the Academy was moved to Sopron in Hungary.
In 1782, Banská Štiavnica was the third biggest town in the Kingdom of Hungary (with 23,192 or incl. suburbs 40,000 inhabitants), after Bratislava and Debrecen. But the town’s development was too closely linked to the mining activity which had been progressively declining since the second half of the 19th century. Nowadays, Banská Štiavnica is an important center of recreation and tourism, benefiting from its rich historical heritage.
Landmarks
The heart of the town is the historical Trinity Square (Trojičné námestie) dominated by a monumental plague column. The square is used for frequent cultural events and there is also a mineralogical museum. Two castles, the so called “old” one (Starý zámok) and “new” one (Nový zámok), have been transformed into museums.The open air mining museum offers a two kilometers long underground excursion in mines dated to the 17th century. Another ancient mine open to the public (Glanzenberg) is even older. This mine, situated just under the center of the town, has attracted numerous famous visitors, from Emperor Joseph II to Prince Albert of Monaco.
The town is surrounded by ancient artificial mining water reservoirs called tajchy. 54 reservoirs were built in the 15th through 18th centuries in order to provide energy for the booming mining industry. They are connected by a 100-kilometres long network of channels. These extraordinary monuments are now used mainly for recreation.
Famous people
- Jozef Karol Hell, inventor and mining engineer
- Maximilian Hell, astronomer
- Dezo Hoffmann, photographer
- Andrej Kmeť, scientist
- Ľudovít Lačný, chess problem composer
- Samuel Mikovíny, mathematician, engineer, and cartographer
- Alexander Pituk, chess problem composer
- Magda Vášáryová, actress and diplomat
External links
| [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ] | Municipalities of Banská Štiavnica District |
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Banská Štiavnica Baďan | Banská Belá | Banský Studenec | Beluj | Dekýš | Ilija | Kozelník | Močiar | Počúvadlo | Podhorie | Prenčov | Svätý Anton | Štiavnické Bane | Vysoká | ||
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