Banská Štiavnica-Photo-diary

Banská Štiavnica located in the Štiavnické Mountains is located in central Slovakia. Already in the times of the Habsburg monarchy, it was one of the richest cities by far, mainly due to the mining of gold and silver. Later, the first mining school was even established here and the city became a center of science.

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City center, Banská Štiavnica

Banská Štiavnica belongs to the UNESCO world heritage and therefore it is no wonder that it is visited every year not only by many tourists from Slovakia but also from abroad. For example, when I was in Banská Štiavnica during the summer, we met there Germans traveling in Slovakia.

Banská Štiavnica is truly one of the most beautiful cities in Slovakia. Althought it is  absolutely not one of the largest. Tourists like it much more than the capital Bratislava or the European Capital of Culture-Košice. Personally, I was also very impressed by this city. In addition to the romantic center, you are also offered a number of nature trips, as we have done.

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Calvary, Banská Štiavnica

Banská Štiavnica Calvary is considered one of the most beautiful in Slovakia. It consists of twenty-two sacral buildings. At the top of the hill you will find a distinctive red church. From there there is a beautiful view not only of Banská Štiavnica, but also of the surrounding Štiavnica hills. The nature in the Banská Bystrica region is really beautiful and although climbing the Calvary is not for everyone, it pays off.

 

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New Castle

In Banská Štiavnica you will find two castles, the Old and the New. The new castle once served as a clock tower and today the tallest tower is a lookout area for tourists. Although it must be said that one does not even have to go to the viewing platform to enjoy the beautiful view of the city. Just go to any surrounding hill, or to the already mentioned Calvary.

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Turquoise lake

 One of the things I was looking forward to in Banská Štiavnica, I guess the most, was the turquoise lake-Vodárenská lake. It was a big disappointment for me when, after half an hour of pedaling uphill (not that it was a lot: D), I came to a common secret with ordinary water. Let’s say that with a great deal of imagination, it would have a turquoise color. However, I was disappointed, because I was looking forward to seeing the turquoise water. And it wasn’t.

Only a few days after returning from Štiavnica, I learned from a biologist that the lake really has a turquoise color. But how come I didn’t see her? The truth is that turquoise coloration of lake is caused by special cyanobacteria. These cyanobacteria reproduce from May to early June. So if you want to see such a toy of nature, it is necessary to arrive just in the mentioned months. Since I was there until the end of August, the cyanobacteria were long gone and I only looked at ordinary secrets. Not that I didn’t like the walk.

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Another nice place in the Banská Bystrica region, which is worth a visit, is a bit bigger than Banská Štiavnica and is the capital of this beautiful region – Banská Bystrica.

I hope you liked the article and the photos, and in case of any comments, don’t be afraid to leave me some comments here. ?