'Banská Bystrica' (previously known also by several
alternative names) is a
city in central
Slovakia. It emerged in the 9th century and received municipal privileges of a royal town in 1255. In the Middle Ages, a prosperous mining town was embellished with churches, palaces, and fortifications. Banská Bystrica is the capital of a ''
kraj'' (
Banská Bystrica Region) and an ''
okres'' (
Banská Bystrica District). It is also the seat of
Matej Bel University. A medieval city with good access to mountains, Banská Bystrica is a popular winter and summer resort. A population of 81,704 makes it the sixth largest municipality in Slovakia.
Etymology
Owing to its multicultural character, Banská Bystrica has had several names, used simultaneously throughout its history. The oldest known name is the
Latin ''Villa Nova Bystrice'' (meaning "new town ''Bystrice''"), used in 1255.
[1] The old
German name ''Neusohl'' ("New Zvolen") and a later Latin name of the same meaning (''Neosolium'') reflect the fact that the first settlers came from the nearby town of
Zvolen (thereafter known in German as ''Altsohl'', literally "Old Zvolen").
The current
Slovak (''Banská Bystrica'') and
Hungarian (''Besztercebánya'' - originating from a 1263 version ''Byzthercebana''
) names include two distinct roots: the name of the local river (''Bystrica'', meaning appr. "quick river" in Slovak) and the Slovak and Hungarian words for "mining": the Slovak adjective ''Banská'' and the Hungarian noun ''bánya'' respectively.
Geography
Banská Bystrica lies at an altitude of 362 metres above sea level and covers an area of 103.37 km².
[2] It is 208 km north-east from Slovakia's capital
Bratislava. Banská Bystrica is connected by a chain of suburbs and villages with another major town, Zvolen.
Banská Bystrica is situated in the upper
Hron river basin. The city is surrounded by three mountain chains:
Low Tatra,
Veľká Fatra, and
Kremnica Mountains. All three are
protected areas because of their environmental value. Banská Bystrica also hosts the headquarters of
Low Tatra National Park. Despite the proximity of these mountains, the local landscape is dominated by the much lower
Urpín hill, which is a popular place of recreation.
History
View on the old town from the
Urpín hill
The early history of Banská Bystrica is connected with the exploitation of abundant deposits of
copper (and to a lesser extent of silver, gold, and iron). The tools used by prehistoric miners in a locality called
Špania Dolina are dated as early as 2000-1700 BCE. The people of the
Lusatian culture built their settlements in Špania Dolina,
Horné Pršany,
Malachov, and
Sásová. Those places of ancient
hill forts are still remembered in the local
toponym ''Hrádok'', meaning "a small castle".
[3] The territory became dominated by the
Celtic tribe of
Cotini (
Púchov culture) in the 3th century BCE. The Germanic tribe of
Quadi took over the place during the
Roman Era, leaving for instance a
hoard of silver artifacts in the Netopierska jaskyňa cave.
The present city was founded in the
9th century CE by the
Slavic ancestors of the modern
Slovaks.
The first known stone church was built by the
Saxon colonists of Sásová in the first half of the 13th century. In 1255, King
Béla IV of
Hungary granted Banská Bystrica extensive municipal privileges in order to attract more skilled settlers from the
Holy Roman Empire.
[4] Descendants of these German colonists became later known as
Carpathian Germans. The city flourished as a regional mining center. In the second half of the 13th century, it built a remarkable
Romanesque church of the Virgin Mary. In 1494, the company ''Ungarischer Handel'' ("Hungarian Trade" in German), was founded by the affluent
Fugger and
Thurzo families. Depending mainly on the mines around Banská Bystrica, the company became the leading world producer of copper by the 16th century.
Miners rioted in 1526 and the city council had to take refuge in the municipal castle. The
Ottoman Empire's northern
advance led the
magistrate to fortify the city with modern stone walls in 1589. Banská Bystrica was one of the foremost centers of the
Protestant Reformation in Slovakia and the city had to fight for its rights against the ruling dynasty of
Catholic Austrian
Habsburgs, as well as against the Ottoman Turks and powerful Hungarian
magnates. In 1620 Prince
Gabriel Bethlen of
Transylvania, a Protestant, was elected King of Hungary at the
Diet in Banská Bystrica.
As the copper deposits were almost depleted, the development in the subsequent centuries was based on new industries (
timber,
paper,
textiles). The
Radvaň borough was granted the right to hold the annual ''Radvanský jarmok'' fair in 1655. The fair was transferred to Banská Bystrica's main square in the 20th century. In 1766, the city became the capital of
Zvolen county.
Banská Bystrica also became the seat of a Catholic bishopric (1776) and several institutions of higher educations. Public services quickly expanded, with foundation of a permanent municipal hospital (1820), a municipal theater (1841), and a municipal museum (1889). Railway reached the town from Zvolen in 1873.
During
World War II, the city was the center of anti-
Nazi opposition in Slovakia. The
Slovak National Uprising, one of the largest movements of anti-Nazi resistance in Europe, was launched from Banská Bystrica on
August 29,
1944.
Banská Bystrica remained an administrative, economic, and cultural center for central Slovakia throughout the 20th century. Because of the unprecedented development of the
Matej Bel University in the 1990s, it has also gained the character of a
university town.
Places of interest
.jpg)
Barbican of the municipal castle with its Gothic (painted in red and white) and Baroque (painted in yellow) parts
Most historical monuments are concentrated near the picturesque main square (), which in summertime is covered by flowers and street cafes. The square is dominated by a leaning
clock tower built in 1552, an ancient "
plague column" (Slovak: ''Morový stĺp''), an interesting fountain, and a black
obelisk raised to the honour of the Soviet soldiers killed during the liberation of the city in 1945. Most buildings on the square and the surrounding streets are well-preserved
Gothic,
Renaissance, and
Baroque burgher houses. The most interesting among them are Benicky house and Thurzo house (Slovak: ''Thurzov dom''), the latter hosting a museum with a regional archaeological collection and remarkable Gothic
frescos.
From the fortifications, a
barbican protecting the main gate, three
bastions and a part of the historical walls have been preserved. Banská Bystrica also has a museum located at the Memorial of the
Slovak National Uprising, which offers a large military collection, including an
open-air exhibition of tanks, artillery, air planes, and
armored trains from World War II.
Banská Bystrica has also a large network of hiking paths all around the city. In wintertime, it attracts fans of
cross-country skiing and
downhill skiing, as there are a number of ski resorts close to the city, including the
Donovaly resort, famous for
dogsled racing.
Municipal Castle
The oldest part of Banská Bystrica is the
castle complex within walking distance of the main square. The municipal castle served as the administrative center of the city and it also protected the king's treasury. The Church of Assumption of the
Virgin Mary (Slovak: ''Farský kostol''), built in the
Romanesque and Gothic styles, contains precious Gothic altars and sculptures. One of the altars was carved by famous
Master Paul of Levoča. The church was built in the 13th century, well before the city got its first royal privileges. The ancient cemetery around the church is partly preserved. The Church of the
Holy Cross was built in 1452 by the local Slovak burghers as a challenge of some sort to the "German" Church of the Virgin Mary. The Matthias House (Slovak: ''Matejov dom'') was built in
1479 as a five-story late-Gothic
palace with a Gothic portal and stone console balcony. It served as a temporary residence of the king
Matthias Corvinus and his queen consort Beatrix. The old Renaissance town hall, dated from 1500, has been transformed into a gallery.
[5]
Demographics
In 2005, the city had a total population of 81,704 (the 6th largest in Slovakia). The population density was 790/km². For every 100 women there were 89.5 men. According to the 2001 census, the religious composition was: 46.6%
Roman Catholics, 30.2% people with no religious affiliation, and 13.9%
Lutherans. 94.7% of inhabitants were
Slovaks and 1.4%
Czechs.
| 'Population of Banská Bystrica'[6] |
| 1720 | 1869 | 1918 | 1950 | 1980 | 1991 | 2001 |
| 2,646 | 5,950 | 10,776 | 22,651 | 62,923 | 83,698 | 83,056 |
As indicated by their last names, many inhabitants are direct descendants of medieval
German settlers. Before World War II, the population of the city also included significant
Hungarian and
Jewish minorities and most people mastered Slovak, German, Hungarian, and sometimes also
Czech and
Yiddish languages.
'Population by ethnicity' |
| 'Year' | 'Slovaks' | 'Germans' | 'Hungarians' |
| 1715 | 1,899 | 873 | 279 |
| 1850 | 4,221 | 978 | 44 |
| 1919 | 8,265 | 406 | 1,565 |
| 2001 | 78,700 | 53 | 446 |
Education
Banská Bystrica is the home of
Matej Bel University (''Univerzita Mateja Bela'') with 15,000 students and of a smaller
Academy of Arts. There is also a satellite campus of
Slovak Medical University. The public school system consists of 12 secondary schools and 16 primary schools. The biggest library is the
State Scientific Library with 2 million volumes. The geological institute of the
Slovak Academy of Sciences has a detached branch in Banská Bystrica and a small astronomical observatory is located on the Urpín hill.
Culture
Theaters
There are four theaters in Banská Bystrica. ''
Štátna opera v Banskej Bystrici'' is an
opera house founded in 1960. Every summer, it organizes a popular open air festival at
Zvolen Castle. ''
Štúdio tanca'' is a
contemporary dance theater. A professional
marionette theater, ''
Bábkové divadlo na Rázcestí'', is responsible for organizing the only marionette festival in Slovakia. ''
Divadlo z Pasáže'' is a unique theater with a
mentally disabled cast.
Museums
The oldest museum in the city is
Museum of Central Slovakia, founded in 1889. The historical exposition is located in Thurzo House on the main square, while the natural history exposition is in Tihanyi's manor house, in
Radvaň. The old town hall building in the municipal castle hosts the
State Gallery. The
Museum of Slovak National Uprising features an open air exhibition of Worl War II weapons. Other noteworthy museums are a
museum devoted to the regional literature and music and the only
museum of stamps in Slovakia.
Folklore
There are four
folklore ensembles for adults and three for children. Their aim is to preserve and present Slovak folklore traditions, especially the traditional music.
Government
The city is governed by a
mayor (''primátor'') and a
city council (''mestské zastupiteľstvo''). The mayor is the head of the city's chief executive and is elected for a four-year term of office. The current mayor,
Ivan Saktor, was nominated in 2006 by a coalition of
Smer-SD,
SNS, and
SZ. The council is the city's legislative body. 21 councillors are elected in four electoral districts. The electoral districts consist of the following neighborhoods:
[7]
#Staré mesto ("Old town"), Uhlisko, Prednádražie, Šalková, Senica, Majer
#Kráľová, Iliaš, Kremnička, Rakytovce
#Radvaň, Fončorda, Podlavice, Skubín
#Sásová, Rudlová, Uľanka, Jakub, Kostiviarska
Banská Bystrica is the capital of two administrative units, a ''
kraj'' (
Banská Bystrica Region) and an ''
okres'' (
Banská Bystrica District). In addition, several national institutions have their headquarters in the city. The most prominent ones are the Tax Directorate of the Slovak Republic (''Daňové riaditeľstvo SR'') and the public postal service (''
Slovenská pošta'').
Transport
Banská Bystrica has bus and train connections to the rest of the country, as well as to
Vienna and
Prague. There are also scheduled flights to the latter city from the
Sliač Airport. The
Motorroad R1 connects the city to Bratislava. The fast
motorroad is partially still under construction.
Famous people
★
Paľo Bielik, director and actor
★
Peter Budaj, ice hockey player
★
Ján Cikker, composer
★
Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, composer
★
Michal Handzuš, ice hockey player
★
Peter Karvaš, writer
★
Ivan Majeský, ice hockey player
★
Jozef Murgaš, inventor
★
Vladimir Orszagh, ice hockey player
★
Haviva Reik, Jewish soldier
★
Dominik Skutecký, painter
★
Tomáš Surový, ice hockey player
★
Jozef Gregor Tajovský, writer
★
Peter Tomka, diplomat
★
Gustáv Kazimír Zechenter-Laskomerský, writer
★
Richard Zedník, ice hockey player
Sister cities
Banská Bystrica has several
sister cities and partner towns around the world:
[ Banská Bystrica Sister Cities ]
★ - Alba, Italy, since 1967
★ - Durham, England, since 1967
★ - Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, since 1967
★ - Salgótarján, Hungary, since 1967
★ - Tula, Russia, since 1967
★ - Herzliya, Israel, since 1995
★ - Larissa, Greece, since 1995
★ - Montana, Bulgaria, since 1995
★ - Tarnobrzeg, Poland, since 1995 |
★ - Zadar, Croatia, since 1995
★ - Ascoli Piceno, Italy, since 1998
★ - Halberstadt, Germany, since 1998
★ - Dabas, Hungary, since 2000
★ - Budva, Montenegro, since 2001
★ - Radom, Poland, since 2001
★ - Kovačica, Serbia, since 2002
★ - Vršac, Serbia, since 2004
★ - Saint Étienne, France, since 2006 |
External links
★
Official municipal website of Banská Bystrica
★
Basic information for tourists
★
Comprehensive information about the city
★
Satellite view of Banská Bystrica
★
Another site for tourists
References
1. ''K najstaršej podobe erbu Banskej Bystrice'' (On the oldest form of the coat of arms of Banská Bystrica), , Igor, Graus, Bystrický Permon,
2. Municipal Statistics
3. Archeológia
4. Banská Bystrica - History
5. The town castle of Banská Bystrica
6. ''Banská Bystrica vo svetle posledného sčítania obyvateľstva domov a bytov'', , Jozef, Ďuriančik, Bystrický Permon,
7. Zoznam volebných obvodov s príslušnými ulicami
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