Banská Bystrica, Slovakia

Banská Bystrica is a city in central Slovakia and is located about halfway between Bratislava and Košice, the country's two largest cities.  Banská Bystrica sits on the Hron River, encircled by three mountain ranges, and with 76,000 inhabitants it is the 6th largest city in Slovakia.  

The town was founded by German settlers in 1255 and quickly became a copper mining town.  During the Austro-Hungarian Empire it was called Neusohl until 1867 when it took the Hungarian name of Besztercebánya and Banská Bystrica has been the official name since 1920.

During WWII, when Slovakia was a Nazi puppet state, Banská Bystrica became the centre of Slovakian anti-Nazi opposition when the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) began in August 1944.  The SNP was put down a couple of months later before being occupied by the Germans until Red Army and Romanian troops liberated the city in March 1945.

Today, it is a lovely university town and with warm summers and cold winters, the surrounding mountains make it a popular tourist destination.

SNP Square is the town's main square and home to many of the town's historical sights with several cafes and restaurants.

The clock tower was built in 1552 and it leans 40 cm (16 inches).

The plague column was erected in the 18th century.  I read that in 1964 it had to be temporarily moved when Nikita Khrushchev visited because the communists didn't want a religious symbol in the background when he gave a speech.

The town hall was originally built in the 16th century but has had numerous renovations over the years.  The facade has both Renaissance and Baroque features and a modern glass pyramid on the roof.

The "Wolf's Lunch Building" used to the town hall.  It was built around 1400 at the start of the 15th century.  I heard a couple of different stories about where the name came from but more or less that from this spot there was a tradition of feeding the poor and that included the wolves from the surrounding forests as well.  

There's a black obelisk, unveiled in 1945, to commemorate the Soviet and Romanian soldiers that liberated the city.  Somehow it is the property of the Russian Federation but I don't get how.  I heard that the granite used to build it came from the stockpile that Hitler planned to use fr victory monuments in Moscow and Leningrad, which never came about.  Not sure if this is true or not but an interesting twist.

The Thurzo House dates back to the 15th century and it is one of the city's oldest buildings.  It was once the headquarters for a mining company and today it hosts a museum.

The St. Francis Xavier Cathedral was consecrated in 1715 and it has been the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese since 1776.  The exterior was renovated in 1999.   

The St. Elizabeth Church was built in 1303.  It's also known as the Spiral Church because it was built next to the hospital for sick and unfit miners.  

The Central Slovakia Gallery is one of the oldest regional galleries in the country.  The collection focuses on modern art.

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built in the mid-13th century.  It is also known as the German Church because it had been built by wealthy Germans townspeople on the foundation of a basilica.  It's the oldest building in town.

The Kammerhof building used to be one of the town's three breweries.  The building was renovated in 1954 and since 1958 it houses museum exhibitions.

The Bishop's Palace was built in 1776.  It boggles my American brain that this building is as old as the U.S. Declaration of Independence and this isn't even the oldest building in town.

Apparently we had just missed "American Day in Banská Bystrica."

Józef Dekrét Matejovie Park was founded in 1971.  It's named after a pioneer of modern forestry during the 18th and 19th centuries who contributed to forest improvements that had been devised due to local mining.

The State Opera house was completed in 1929.  It is one of three state opera houses in the country.

The Museum of the Slovak National Uprising was impressive.  It opened in 1955 and it is one of the reasons that I wanted to visit the town.  It did not disappoint.  Very interesting and here's a short video I found on YouTube. 

©goguliver.sk

Banská Bystrica had been on my list of places to visit for more than 10 years.  We really enjoyed it and I'd like to explore a bit more of Slovakia.  We also took a day trip out to visit nearby Hronsek and Slovenská Ľupča.