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120-713: Banská Bystrica ( Slovak pronunciation: [ˈbanskaː ˈbistritsa] , also known by other alternative names ) is a city in central Slovakia , located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras , the Veľká Fatra , and the Kremnica Mountains . With approximately 76,000 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia. The present-day town
240-512: A Protestant, was elected King of Hungary by the Diet meeting at Banská Bystrica. The village of Radvaň , now a borough of Banská Bystrica, was granted the economically important right to hold annual fairs ( Radvanský jarmok ) in 1655. The fair was transferred to Banská Bystrica's main square in the 20th century. The copper deposits had been all but depleted by the 18th century, but new industries, such as timber , paper, and textiles, developed. In 1766
360-456: A capacity of 10,000. Other clubs based in the city include the Extraliga ice hockey club HC 05 Banská Bystrica and the basketball club BKP Banská Bystrica. The city is governed by a mayor ( Slovak : primátor ) and a city council (Slovak: mestské zastupiteľstvo ). The mayor is the head of the city and its chief executive. The term of office is for four years. The current mayor following
480-564: A civilian vicus and several farms of the villa rustica type. The name of this settlement was Gerulata . The military fort had an auxiliary cavalry unit, approximately 300 horses strong, modelled after the Cananefates . The remains of Roman buildings have also survived in Stupava , Devín Castle , Bratislava Castle Hill, and the Bratislava- Dúbravka suburb. Near the northernmost line of
600-571: A lasting legacy in Central and Eastern Europe. The Glagolitic script and its successor Cyrillic were disseminated to other Slavic countries, charting a new path in their sociocultural development . Following the disintegration of the Great Moravian Empire at the turn of the tenth century, the Hungarians annexed the territory comprising modern Slovakia. After their defeat on the river Lech ,
720-516: A period of relative prosperity. There was progress in not only the development of the country's economy but also culture and educational opportunities. Yet the Great Depression caused a sharp economic downturn, followed by political disruption and insecurity in Europe. In the 1930s, Czechoslovakia came under continuous pressure from the revanchist governments of Germany, Hungary and Poland who used
840-518: A result of the Yalta Conference , Czechoslovakia came under the influence and later under direct occupation of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact , after a coup in 1948 . 8,240 people went to forced labour camps in 1948–1953. Lusatian culture The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1300–500 BC ) in most of what is now Poland and parts of
960-473: A rival continuation of the Magyar state that practised religious tolerance and normally had Ottoman backing. Upper Hungary, modern Slovakia, became the site of frequent wars between Catholics in the west territory and Protestants in the east, as well as against Turks; the frontier was on a constant state of military alert and heavily fortified by castles and citadels often manned by Catholic German and Slovak troops on
1080-508: A series of outposts around and just south of the Danube , the largest of which were known as Carnuntum (whose remains are on the main road halfway between Vienna and Bratislava ) and Brigetio (present-day Szőny at the Slovak-Hungarian border). Such Roman border settlements were built on the present area of Rusovce , currently a suburb of Bratislava . The military fort was surrounded by
1200-734: A time. The territory of Slovakia was liberated by Soviet and Romanian forces by the end of April 1945. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and Jozef Tiso was executed in 1947 for collaboration with the Nazis. More than 80,000 Hungarians and 32,000 Germans were forced to leave Slovakia, in a series of population transfers initiated by the Allies at the Potsdam Conference . Out of about 130,000 Carpathian Germans in Slovakia in 1938, by 1947 only some 20,000 remained. The NKVD arrested and deported over 20,000 people to Siberia As
1320-694: Is twinned with: The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive in Banská Bystrica ( Slovak : Štátny archív v Banskej Bystrici ). Slovakia – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green) – [ Legend ] Slovakia , officially the Slovak Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe . It
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#17330850737971440-514: Is a leaning tower with the top 40 centimetres (16 inches) off the perpendicular. A plague column (Slovak: Morový stĺp ) was erected in the square in the 18th century in gratitude to the Virgin Mary for ending a deadly plague . The column was temporarily removed before a visit of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1964 because a religious symbol was considered too embarrassing a background for
1560-473: Is about halfway between Slovakia's two largest cities, 208 kilometres (129 mi) north-east from Slovakia's capital Bratislava and 217 kilometres (135 mi) west of Košice . A chain of discrete suburbs and villages connects it with Zvolen, another major town 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the south. Banská Bystrica is situated in the Hron River valley ( Slovak : Pohronie ). The Hron River curves through
1680-467: Is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's mostly mountainous territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi), hosting a population exceeding 5.4 million. The capital and largest city is Bratislava , while the second largest city is Košice . The Slavs arrived in
1800-458: Is dominated by the much lower Urpín Mountain, 510 metres (1,673 ft), which is a popular place of recreation. Banská Bystrica lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In 2013, the city had a total population of 79,368, making it the 6th-largest municipality in Slovakia in 2005. The population density
1920-623: Is not known what happened with both Mojmír II and Svatopluk II because they are not mentioned in written sources after 906. In three battles (4–5 July and 9 August 907) near Bratislava , the Magyars routed Bavarian armies. Some historians put this year as the date of the break-up of the Great Moravian Empire, due to the Hungarian conquest; other historians take the date a little bit earlier (to 902). Great Moravia left behind
2040-708: Is primarily known for its collaboration with Nazi Germany, which included sending troops to the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the Soviet Union in 1941. On 24 November 1940, Slovakia joined the Axis when its leaders signed the Tripartite Pact . The country was strongly influenced by Germany and gradually became a puppet regime in many respects. Meanwhile, the Czechoslovak government-in-exile sought to reverse
2160-828: Is still surrounded by remnants of its ancient cemetery. The neighboring Church of the Holy Cross was built in 1452 by the Slovak burghers as a counterpart to the Church of the Virgin Mary that then acquired the attribute German . The Matthias House (Slovak: Matejov dom) was built in 1479 as a five-story late-Gothic structure with a Gothic portal and stone console balcony. It served as a temporary residence of King Matthias Corvinus and his Queen Consort Beatrix. The Renaissance Old Town Hall, dated from 1500, has been transformed into an art museum. There are four theaters in Banská Bystrica. The State Opera ( Slovak : Štátna opera v Banskej Bystrici )
2280-613: Is the State Scientific Library with 2 million volumes. The geological institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences has a branch in Banská Bystrica and the small Banská Bystrica Regional Astronomical Observatory is located on Urpín Mountain. Banská Bystrica has bus and train connections to the rest of the country, as well as to many other European cities. The R1 expressway connects the city to Zvolen and to Slovakia's capital Bratislava. Other roads of state importance connect
2400-465: Is to preserve and present Slovak folklore traditions, especially the traditional music . The oldest one is the award-winning Urpín Folklore Ensemble, founded in 1957. Mladosť Folklore Ensemble is affiliated with University of Matej Bel . FK Dukla Banská Bystrica is the local football club, playing in the top Slovak football league, the Corgoň Liga . They have their home ground at SNP Stadium , with
2520-593: The Banská Bystrica and Žilina regions, and a part of Trenčín region . Banská Bystrica is also the capital of a smaller district . The Banská Bystrica District (Slovak: okres Banská Bystrica ) is entirely contained within the Banská Bystrica Region (Slovak: Banskobystrický kraj ). Several national public institutions have their headquarters in the city, the most prominent are the Tax Directorate of
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#17330850737972640-639: The Czech Republic , Slovakia , eastern Germany and western Ukraine . It covers the Periods Montelius III (early Lusatian culture) to V of the Northern European chronological scheme. It has been associated or closely linked with the Nordic Bronze Age . Hallstatt influences can also be seen particularly in ornaments (fibulae, pins) and weapons. The Lusatian culture developed as the preceding Trzciniec culture experienced influences from
2760-800: The Early Iron Age in the West. In Poland, the Lusatian culture is taken have spanned part of the Iron Age as well (there is only a terminological difference) and was succeeded in Montelius VIIbc in the northern ranges around the mouth of Vistula by the Pomeranian culture spreading south. 'Lusatian-type' burials were first described by the German pathologist and archaeologist Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902). The name refers to
2880-704: The Egri , Budin and Uyvar eyalets . Thököly 's kuruc rebels from the Principality of Upper Hungary fought alongside the Turks against the Austrians and Poles at the Battle of Vienna of 1683 led by John III Sobieski . As the Turks withdrew from Hungary in the late 17th century, the importance of the territory composing modern Slovakia decreased, although Pressburg retained its status as
3000-582: The First World War , Banská Bystrica along with the entire northern part of Hungary was given to Czechoslovakia by the peace treaty of Trianon in 1920. During World War II, Banská Bystrica became the center of anti- Nazi opposition in Slovakia when the Slovak National Uprising , one of the largest anti-Nazi resistance events in Europe, was launched from the city on 29 August 1944. The insurgents were defeated on 27 October, and Banská Bystrica
3120-728: The Gravettian culture, principally in the river valleys of Nitra , Hron , Ipeľ , Váh and as far as the city of Žilina , and near the foot of the Vihorlat , Inovec, and Tribeč mountains, as well as in the Myjava Mountains. The most well-known finds include the oldest female statue made of mammoth bone (22,800 BCE), the famous Venus of Moravany . The statue was found in the 1940s in Moravany nad Váhom near Piešťany . Numerous necklaces made of shells from Cypraca thermophile gastropods of
3240-504: The Hallstatt period disappeared in Slovakia during the century before the middle of first millennium BCE, after strife between the Scytho -Thracian people and locals, resulting in abandonment of the old hill-forts. Relatively depopulated areas soon caught the interest of emerging Celtic tribes, who advanced from the south towards the north, following the Slovak rivers, peacefully integrating into
3360-731: The Hunnic empire . In 568, a Turko-Mongol tribal confederacy, the Avars , conducted its invasion into the Middle Danube region. The Avars occupied the lowlands of the Pannonian Plain and established an empire dominating the Carpathian Basin . In 623 , the Slavic population living in the western parts of Pannonia seceded from their empire after a revolution led by Samo , a Frankish merchant. After 626,
3480-482: The Latin name Villa Nova Bystrice (meaning "New Town of Bystrica ") was recorded in the document in which King Béla IV of Hungary granted the town royal privileges. Several variations of Bystrica (Byztherze, Bystrice, Bystrzice etc.) were then regularly used without the adjective identifying it as a mining town until the late 16th century. Although the first written record of the name Byzterchebana dates from 1263, it
3600-470: The Little Carpathians . During Hallstatt times, monumental burial mounds were erected in western Slovakia, with princely equipment consisting of richly decorated vessels, ornaments and decorations. The burial rites consisted entirely of cremation. Common people were buried in flat urnfield cemeteries. A special role was given to weaving and the production of textiles. The local power of the "Princes" of
3720-492: The Lusatia area in eastern Germany ( Brandenburg and Saxony ) and western Poland. Virchow identified the pottery artifacts as 'pre-Germanic' but refused to speculate on the ethnic identity of their makers. The Polish archeologist Józef Kostrzewski , who started in 1934 to conduct extensive excavations of a Lusatian settlement of Biskupin , hypothesised that the Lusatian culture was a predecessor of later cultures that belonged to
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3840-593: The Lusatian culture built their settlements at Špania Dolina, Horné Pršany , Malachov , and Sásová . Ancient hill fort locations are still reflected in the local toponym Hrádok , meaning "a small fort (later: castle)". The territory was inhabited by the Celtic tribe of the Cotini ( Púchov culture ) in the 3rd century BC. The Germanic tribe of the Quadi took over the place during
3960-558: The Middle Paleolithic era (200,000–80,000 BCE) come from the Prévôt (Prepoštská) cave in Bojnice and from other nearby sites. The most important discovery from that era is a Neanderthal cranium (c. 200,000 BCE), discovered near Gánovce , a village in northern Slovakia. Archaeologists have found prehistoric human skeletons in the region, as well as numerous objects and vestiges of
4080-933: The Munich Agreement and the subsequent German occupation of Czechoslovakia and to return the Republic to its 1937 boundaries. The government operated from London and it was ultimately considered, by those countries that recognised it, the legitimate government for Czechoslovakia throughout the Second World War. As part of the Holocaust in Slovakia , 75,000 Jews out of 80,000 who remained on Slovak territory after Hungary had seized southern regions were deported and taken to German death camps . Thousands of Jews, Gypsies and other politically undesirable people remained in Slovak forced labour camps in Sereď , Vyhne, and Nováky. Tiso, through
4200-525: The Ottoman Empire . After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , the state of Czechoslovakia was established, incorporating Slovakia. In the lead up to World War II , local fascist parties gradually came to power in the Slovak lands, and the first Slovak Republic was established as a clerical fascist client state under the control of Nazi Germany . In 1940,
4320-648: The Principality of Nitra was given to his nephew Svätopluk as an appanage . The rebellious prince allied himself with the Franks and overthrew his uncle in 870. Similarly to his predecessor, Svätopluk I (871–894) assumed the title of the king ( rex ). During his reign, the Great Moravian Empire reached its greatest territorial extent, when not only present-day Moravia and Slovakia but also present-day northern and central Hungary , Lower Austria , Bohemia , Silesia , Lusatia , southern Poland and northern Serbia belonged to
4440-721: The Roman Era , leaving for instance a hoard of silver artifacts in Netopierska jaskyňa (Bat Cave). The present city was built upon a former Slavic settlement. After the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin it was incorporated in the Zólyom county of the Kingdom of Hungary . The first known stone church was built by Saxon immigrants in the then still independent settlement of Sásová in
4560-457: The Slovak Medical University is also located in the city. There are 15 public primary schools, two private primary schools, and two religious primary schools. Overall, they enroll 7,029 pupils. The city's system of secondary education (some middle schools and all high schools) consists of five gymnasia with 3,280 students, seven specialized high schools with 2,873 students, and six vocational schools with 1,884 students. The largest library
4680-458: The Tertiary period have come from the sites of Zákovská, Podkovice, Hubina, and Radošina. These findings provide the most ancient evidence of commercial exchanges carried out between the Mediterranean and Central Europe . During the Bronze Age , the geographical territory of modern-day Slovakia went through three stages of development, stretching from 2000 to 800 BCE. Major cultural, economic, and political development can be attributed to
4800-488: The Treaty of Saint Germain in 1919 and Treaty of Trianon in 1920. In the peace following the World War, Czechoslovakia emerged as a sovereign European state. It provided what were at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities. During the Interwar period , democratic Czechoslovakia was allied with France, and also with Romania and Yugoslavia ( Little Entente ); however, the Locarno Treaties of 1925 left East European security open. Both Czechs and Slovaks enjoyed
4920-422: The Tumulus culture of the Middle Bronze Age , essentially incorporating the local communities into the socio-political network of Iron Age Europe. It formed part of the Urnfield systems, origin of the Celts and Romans , found from eastern France , southern Germany and Austria to Hungary and the Nordic Bronze Age in northwestern Germany and Scandinavia . It was followed by the Billendorf culture of
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5040-490: The Velvet Revolution peacefully ended Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia, sometimes referred to as the Velvet Divorce . Slovakia is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy . The country maintains a combination of a market economy with a comprehensive social security system, providing citizens with universal health care , free education , and one of
5160-623: The early Slavs . Modern archeologists, such as both K. Godłowski and P. Kaczanowski , hold the view that the ethnic geography of Bronze Age Central Europe then included peoples whose languages and ethnic identity are simply unknown. Burial was by cremation; inhumations are rare. The urn is usually accompanied by numerous (up to 40) secondary vessels. Metal grave gifts are sparse, but there are numerous hoards (such as Kopaniewo, Pomerania ) that contain rich metalwork, both bronze and gold (hoard of Eberswalde, Brandenburg ). Graves containing moulds (like at Bataune, in Saxony ) and tuyeres attest to
5280-415: The income tax of persons (437 million korunas in 2006). Most of the historical monuments are concentrated near its central, picturesque SNP Square ( Slovak : Námestie SNP ), which teems with flowers and street cafes in the summer. The square is named after the Slovak National Uprising . It is dominated by a clock tower built in 1552. Although less known than its famous counterpart in Pisa , it
5400-418: The independence for the territories of Bohemia , Moravia , Silesia , Upper Hungary and Carpathian Ruthenia from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and proclaimed a common state, Czechoslovakia . In 1919, during the chaos following the break-up of Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia was formed with numerous Germans , Slovaks , Hungarians and Ruthenians within the newly set borders. The borders were set by
5520-480: The late Middle Ages when the prosperous burghers built its central churches, mansions, and fortifications. It is the capital of the kraj (more specifically Banská Bystrica Region ) and the okres ( Banská Bystrica District ). It is also the home of Matej Bel University . As a historical town with an easy access to the surrounding mountains, Banská Bystrica is a popular winter and summer tourist destination . The Slovak name Banská Bystrica includes two roots:
5640-411: The "Land of the Slavs " ( Slovensko in Slovak stemming from the older form Sloven/Slovienin ). As such, it is a cognate of the words Slovenia and Slavonia . In medieval Latin, German, and even some Slavic sources, the same name has often been used for Slovaks, Slovenes, Slavonians, and Slavs in general. According to one of the theories, a new form of national name formed for the ancestors of
5760-410: The 2014 municipal elections is Ján Nosko, an independent. Banská Bystrica is divided into four electoral districts , consisting of the following neighborhoods: Banská Bystrica is the capital of one of eight largely autonomous Regions of Slovakia . It was the capital of an even larger region encompassing the whole of central Slovakia from 1960 until 1990, but the territory was subdivided in 1996 between
5880-478: The Avar power started a gradual decline but its reign lasted to 804. The Slavic tribes settled in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the fifth century. Western Slovakia was the centre of Samo 's empire in the seventh century. A Slavic state known as the Principality of Nitra arose in the eighth century and its ruler Pribina had the first known Christian church of the territory of present-day Slovakia consecrated by 828. Together with neighbouring Moravia ,
6000-401: The Communist leader's speech. The St. Francis Xavier Cathedral (Slovak: Kapitulský kostol , "Chapter Church") is a copy of the Jesuit Church of the Gesu in Rome and is since 1776 the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Banská Bystrica . Other major monuments on the square include an Art Nouveau fountain from the beginning of the 20th century and a black obelisk raised to the honor of
6120-458: The German cleric Wiching the Bishop of Nitra . After the death of Prince Svatopluk in 894, his sons Mojmír II (894–906?) and Svatopluk II succeeded him as the Prince of Great Moravia and the Prince of Nitra respectively. However, they started to quarrel for domination of the whole empire. Weakened by an internal conflict as well as by constant warfare with Eastern Francia , Great Moravia lost most of its peripheral territories. In
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#17330850737976240-418: The German immigrants to this and other counties became later known as the Carpathian Germans . The city flourished as a regional mining center. It built the Late Romanesque Church of the Virgin Mary in the second half of the 13th century. During the same period, Banská Bystrica obtained its own coat of arms inspired by the coat of arms of the ruling dynasty of the Árpáds , also used as the historical flag of
6360-399: The Habsburg side. By 1648, Slovakia was not spared the Counter-Reformation , which brought the majority of its population from Lutheranism back to Roman Catholicism . In 1655, the printing press at the Trnava university produced the Jesuit Benedikt Szöllősi's Cantus Catholici, a Catholic hymnal in Slovak that reaffirmed links to the earlier works of Cyril and Methodius. The Ottoman wars ,
6480-464: The Hungarian state. The ethnic composition of Slovakia became more diverse with the arrival of the Carpathian Germans in the 13th century and the Jews in the 14th century. A significant decline in the population resulted from the invasion of the Mongols in 1241 and the subsequent famine. However, in medieval times the area of Slovakia was characterised by German and Jewish immigration, burgeoning towns, construction of numerous stone castles, and
6600-423: The Hungarians abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in the centre of the Carpathian valley, slowly adopting Christianity and began to build a new state—the Hungarian kingdom . In the years 1001–1002 and 1018–1029, Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Poland , having been conquered by Boleslaus I the Brave . After the territory of Slovakia was returned to Hungary, a semi-autonomous polity continued to exist (or
6720-564: The Kingdom of Hungary. The local craftsmen were organized in fifty guilds , with the butchers' guild being the oldest. The affluent Fugger and Thurzo families founded the prosperous Ungarischer Handel company (German for "Hungarian Trade") in 1494. Depending mainly on the mines around Banská Bystrica, the company had become a leading world producer of copper by the 16th century. With the most sophisticated mining technologies in Europe, an advanced accounting system, and benefits including medical care for its 1,000 employees, Ungarischer Handel
6840-419: The Osi and Cotini , existed in western and central Slovakia from 8–6 BCE to 179 CE. In the second and third centuries CE, the Huns began to leave the Central Asian steppes . They crossed the Danube in 377 CE and occupied Pannonia , which they used for 75 years as their base for launching looting-raids into Western Europe. However, Attila's death in 453 brought about the disappearance of
6960-441: The Roman hinterlands, the Limes Romanus , there existed the winter camp of Laugaricio (modern-day Trenčín ) where the Auxiliary of Legion II fought and prevailed in a decisive battle over the Germanic Quadi tribe in 179 CE during the Marcomannic Wars . The Kingdom of Vannius , a kingdom founded by the Germanic Suebi tribes of Quadi and Marcomanni , as well as several small Germanic and Celtic tribes , including
7080-598: The Slavic vernacular. On Rastislav's request, two brothers, Byzantine officials and missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius came in 863. Cyril developed the first Slavic alphabet and translated the Gospel into the Old Church Slavonic language. Rastislav was also preoccupied with the security and administration of his state. Numerous fortified castles built throughout the country are dated to his reign and some of them (e.g., Dowina , sometimes identified with Devín Castle ) are also mentioned in connection with Rastislav by Frankish chronicles. During Rastislav's reign,
7200-432: The Slovak Republic and the Slovak public postal service ( Slovenská pošta ). The city also hosts a regional branch of National Bank of Slovakia . Banská Bystrica is the home of Matej Bel University ( Slovak : Univerzita Mateja Bela ) with 16,460 students, including 416 doctoral students. Academy of Arts (Slovak: Akadémia umení ) with 490 students is specialized in performing and fine arts . A satellite campus of
7320-401: The Slovaks between the 13th and 14th century, possibly due to foreign influence; the Czech word Slovák (in medieval sources from 1291 onward). This form slowly replaced the name for the male members of the community, but the female name ( Slovenka ), reference to the lands inhabited ( Slovensko ) and the name of the language ( slovenčina ) all remained the same, with their base in
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#17330850737977440-436: The Soviet soldiers killed during the liberation of the city in 1945. Most buildings enclosing the square and in the nearby streets are well-preserved Gothic , Renaissance , and Baroque noblemen's mansions and wealthy burghers ' residences. The most interesting among them are the Benicky House and the Thurzo House, the latter hosting a museum with a regional archaeological collection and remarkable Gothic frescos . Most of
7560-458: The State became federalised, with Diets in Slovakia and Ruthenia. The remainder of Czechoslovakia was renamed Czecho-Slovakia and promised a greater degree of Slovak political autonomy. This, however, failed to materialise. Parts of southern and eastern Slovakia were also reclaimed by Hungary at the First Vienna Award of November 1938. After the Munich Agreement and its Vienna Award , Nazi Germany threatened to annex part of Slovakia and allow
7680-406: The adjective Banská from Slovak baňa – mine , and the name of the local river Bystrica (from Slavic bystrica – swift stream ). The name of the town in Hungarian : "Besztercebánya" also comes from the Beszterce stream (from the Slavic name of the stream, Bystrica ), and the suffix bánya is connected to the mines of the town. The river lent its name to the town as early as 1255 when
7800-411: The aggrieved minorities in the country as a useful vehicle. Revision of the borders was called for, as Czechs constituted only 43% of the population. Eventually, this pressure led to the Munich Agreement of September 1938, which allowed the majority ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland , borderlands of Czechoslovakia, to join with Germany. The remaining minorities stepped up their pressures for autonomy and
7920-478: The average commute time is 35 minutes. The Národný Atletický Štadión is a multi-purpose stadium, used mainly for athletics and football matches and is the home ground of MFK Dukla Banská Bystrica . The stadium built in 1959, underwent a complete reconstruction in 2018. Motorcycle speedway was held around the football pitch on the site from 1959 to 1966 and hosted a final round of the Czechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship in 1959 and 1960. Banská Bystrica
8040-437: The buildings in the center have been transformed into luxury stores, restaurants, and cafes. SNP Square itself was completely reconstructed in 1994. The museum located at the Memorial of the Slovak National Uprising contains a large military collection, including an open-air exhibition of World War II tanks, artillery, aircraft, and armored trains . Banská Bystrica has also a large network of marked hiking trails all around
8160-548: The capital of Hungary until 1848 when it was transferred back to Buda. During the revolution of 1848–49 , the Slovaks supported the Austrian Emperor , hoping for independence from the Hungarian part of the Dual Monarchy , but they failed to achieve their aim. Thereafter, relations between the nationalities deteriorated (see Magyarisation ), culminating in the secession of Slovakia from Hungary after World War I. On 18 October 1918, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , Milan Rastislav Štefánik and Edvard Beneš declared in Washington, D.C.
8280-425: The city became the capital of Zólyom county when Banská Bystrica also became the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric (1776) and of several institutions of higher education. Public services expanded in the 19th century with the foundation of a permanent municipal hospital (1820), a municipal theater (1841), and a municipal museum (1889). The railway reached the town from Zvolen in 1873. After Austria-Hungary lost
8400-450: The city centre, served by trains on the Vrútky-Zvolen line. Public transport in the city is managed by two different companies. Dopravný podnik mesta Banská Bystrica is a public service run by the municipality. It operates trolleybuses and minibuses . The private company SAD Zvolen has a fleet of buses . In addition to regular lines, it also offers express and night lines. 30% of people use their private cars for journeys to work and
8520-408: The city from the east to the south. The city nests among three mountain chains: the Low Tatras to the north-east, the Veľká Fatra to the north-west, and the Kremnica Mountains to the west. All three are protected areas because of their environmental value. Banská Bystrica hosts the headquarters of the Low Tatra National Park . Despite the proximity of these mountain ranges , the local landscape
8640-531: The city to Brezno (No. 66), to Ružomberok (No. 59) and to Turčianske Teplice (No. 14). Banská Bystrica railway station is a junction between the Vrútky–Zvolen railway , which links Banská Bystrica with Žilina and Bratislava , and the Banská Bystrica–Červená Skala railway , which heads east towards Košice . Banská Bystrica mesto railway station is a smaller station located closer to
8760-480: 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 . The oldest part of Banská Bystrica is town castle at the edge of SNP Square. It is enclosed within what has remained of its original fortifications − a barbican protecting the main gate, three bastions , and part of
8880-515: The country joined the Axis when its leaders signed the Tripartite Pact . The local Jewish population was heavily persecuted, with almost 70,000 Jews being murdered or deported . Internal opposition to the fascist government's policies culminated in the Slovak National Uprising , itself triggered by the Nazi German occupation of the country. Although the uprising was eventually suppressed, partisan resistance continued, and Czechoslovak independence
9000-461: The cultivation of the arts. The arrival of German element sometimes proved a problem for the autochthonous Slovaks (and even Hungarians in the broader Hungary), since they often quickly gained most power in medieval towns, only to later refuse to share it. Breaking of old customs by Germans often resulted in national quarrels. One of which had to be sorted out by the king Louis I. with the proclamation Privilegium pro Slavis (Privilege for Slovaks) in
9120-434: The distant past, the most important sectors of the local economy are now tourism, timber, and mechanical industry. Two of the largest employers in Slovakia, Slovenská pošta (the public postal service, ranked as the 3rd largest employer) and Lesy SR (the national forest service, ranked as 13th). have their headquarters in Banská Bystrica. In the period 2007–2013, the city intends to work with Zvolen and other municipalities in
9240-529: The empire, but the exact borders of his domains are still disputed by modern authors. Svatopluk also withstood attacks of the Magyar tribes and the Bulgarian Empire , although sometimes it was he who hired the Magyars when waging war against East Francia . In 880, Pope John VIII set up an independent ecclesiastical province in Great Moravia with Archbishop Methodius as its head. He also named
9360-406: The first half of the 13th century, when the area belong to the king. According to Slovak archaeologists Banská Bystrica started as a permanent settlement in the 9th century. Other sources claim that due to the attack of Mongols , in 1243–44, the town ceased to exist. In 1255 King Béla IV granted Banská Bystrica extensive municipal privileges, in order to attract more skilled settlers. Descendants of
9480-760: The foremost centers of the Protestant Reformation in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 16th century. Later on, the city had to fight for its religious freedom guaranteed by the Royal Charter against the ruling dynasty of the Austrian Roman Catholic Habsburgs , for its physical independence against the Ottoman Turks and for its self-governance against the Kingdom of Hungary's powerful magnates . In 1620, Prince Gabriel Bethlen of Transylvania ,
9600-515: The formation of Great Moravia . In the 10th century, after the dissolution of Great Moravia, the territory was integrated into the Principality of Hungary , which then became the Kingdom of Hungary in 1000. In 1241 and 1242, after the Mongol invasion of Europe , much of the territory was destroyed, but was recovered largely thanks to Béla IV . During the 16th and 17th centuries, southern portions of present-day Slovakia were incorporated into provinces of
9720-563: The forms Slovakia and Schlowakei starting to appear in the 16th century. The present Slovak form Slovensko is first attested in the year 1675. The oldest surviving human artefacts from Slovakia are found near Nové Mesto nad Váhom and are dated at 270,000 BCE, in the Early Paleolithic era. These ancient tools, made by the Clactonian technique, bear witness to the ancient habitation of Slovakia. Other stone tools from
9840-490: The granting of presidential exceptions, allowed between 1,000 and 4,000 people crucial to the war economy to avoid deportations. Under Tiso's government and Hungarian occupation, the vast majority of Slovakia's pre-war Jewish population (between 75,000 and 105,000 individuals including those who perished from the occupied territory) were murdered. The Slovak state paid Germany 500 RM per every deported Jew for "retraining and accommodation" (a similar but smaller payment of 30 RM
9960-574: The history of the town. In the late 16th century the use of the mining adjective became more frequent (as in Bystrzicze na baniech or Bystricze Banska , both from 1530). This evolution resulted in the current form of the name, first recorded in 1773 as Banska Bystrica . In the Austrian Empire , the German name Neusohl was used until the compromise of 1867 , when the Hungarian name Besztercebánya became
10080-947: The longest paid parental leaves in the OECD . Slovakia is a member of the European Union , the Eurozone , the Schengen Area , the United Nations , NATO , CERN , the OECD, the WTO , the Council of Europe , the Visegrád Group , and the OSCE . Slovakia is also home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The world's largest per-capita car producer, Slovakia manufactured a total of 1.1 million cars in 2019, representing 43% of its total industrial output. Slovakia's name means
10200-509: The meantime, the semi-nomadic Magyar tribes, possibly having suffered defeat from the similarly nomadic Pechenegs , left their territories east of the Carpathian Mountains , invaded the Carpathian Basin and started to occupy the territory gradually around 896. Their armies' advance may have been promoted by continuous wars among the countries of the region whose rulers still hired them occasionally to intervene in their struggles. It
10320-667: The natural history exposition is in the Tihányi Mansion in Radvaň . The Old Town Hall building at City Castle hosts the State Gallery (Slovak: Štátna Galéria ) specialized in contemporary Slovak art. The Museum of the Slovak National Uprising (Slovak: Múzeum Slovenského národného povstania ) features a collection of 203,000 militaria , including an open-air exhibition of World War II heavy weapons. Other noteworthy museums are
10440-449: The number of live births (673) and a negative migration rate. The life expectancy at birth was 75.1 years (as of 2001), which is a figure close to the median life expectancy in the European Union . According to the 2001 census, the religious composition was 46.6% Roman Catholics, 30.2% people with no religious affiliation, and 13.9% Lutherans . People's ethnic self-identification was 94.7% Slovak and 1.4% Czech . Before World War II,
10560-468: The official one. The parallel use of Slovak or German names in the written record did not, however, cease in this period. Banská Bystrica became the official name of the town in 1920. The earliest history of Banská Bystrica was connected to the exploitation of its abundant deposits of copper (and to a lesser extent of silver, gold, and iron). The tools used by prehistoric miners at the locality called Špania Dolina have been dated to 2000–1700 BC. People of
10680-552: The older form (compare to Slovenian counterparts). Most foreign translations tend to stem from this newer form ( Slovakia in English, Slowakei in German, Slovaquie in French, etc.). In medieval Latin sources, terms: Slavus , Slavonia , or Slavorum (and more variants, from as early as 1029) have been used. In German sources, names for the Slovak lands were Windenland or Windische Lande (early 15th century), with
10800-577: The only marionette festival in Slovakia. Theatre from the Passage (Slovak: Divadlo z Pasáže ) is Slovakia's only theater with a mentally disabled cast whose mission is to help integrate mentally disabled people in society. The oldest museum in the city is the Museum of Central Slovakia (Slovak: Stredoslovenské múzeum ), founded in 1889. Its historical exposition is located in the Thurzo House on SNP Square, while
10920-639: The place of settlement for nearly two-thirds of the Magyar nobility fleeing the Turks and became far more linguistically and culturally Hungarian than it was before. Partly thanks to old Hussite families and Slovaks studying under Martin Luther , the region then experienced a growth in Protestantism . For a short period in the 17th century, most Slovaks were Lutherans . They defied the Catholic Habsburgs and sought protection from neighbouring Transylvania ,
11040-488: The population of the city also included significant German , Hungarian , and Jewish minorities and many people were trilingual, mastering the Slovak, German, and Hungarian languages. The Jews resided for a long time in Radvaň because they used to be prohibited from entering the city. The synagogue in Banská Bystrica was built in 1867 and demolished in 1983. While Banská Bystrica's prosperity used to be derived from copper mining in
11160-582: The principality formed the core of the Great Moravian Empire from 833. The high point of this Slavonic empire came with the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 863, during the reign of Duke Rastislav , and the territorial expansion under King Svätopluk I . Great Moravia arose around 830 when Mojmír I unified the Slavic tribes settled north of the Danube and extended the Moravian supremacy over them. When Mojmír I endeavoured to secede from
11280-617: The production of bronze tools and weapons at the village level. The 'royal' tomb of Seddin , Brandenburg , Germany, covered by a large earthen barrow , contained Mediterranean imports like bronze vessels and glass beads. Cemeteries can be quite large and contain thousands of graves. Well-known settlements include Biskupin , in Poland, and Buch, near Berlin . There are both open villages and fortified settlements ( burgwall or gord ) on hilltops or in swampy areas. The ramparts were constructed of wooden boxes filled with soil or stones. Its economy
11400-517: The region after the Hussite Wars . Owing to the Ottoman Empire 's expansion into Hungarian territory, Bratislava was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, ahead of the fall of the old Hungarian capital of Buda in 1541. It became part of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, marking the beginning of a new era. The territory comprising modern Slovakia, then known as Upper Hungary , became
11520-403: The regional Literature and Music Museum (Slovak: Literárne a hudobné múzeum ) and Slovakia's only Postal Museum (Slovak: Poštové múzeum Slovenskej pošty ). The town is the setting for the book St Peter's Umbrella by Kálmán Mikszáth , published in 1895. The book was part of a large increase in Hungarian writing at the time, which was symptomatic of the rise in Hungarian separatism against what
11640-541: The remaining regions to be partitioned by Hungary or Poland unless independence was declared. Thus, Slovakia seceded from Czecho-Slovakia in March 1939 and allied itself, as demanded by Germany, with Hitler's coalition. Secession had created the first Slovak state in history. A one-party clerical fascist Slovak Republic governed by the far-right Hlinka's Slovak People's Party was led by President Jozef Tiso and Prime Minister Vojtech Tuka . The (First) Slovak Republic
11760-518: The remnants of the local population. From around 500 BCE, the territory of modern-day Slovakia was settled by Celts , who built powerful oppida on the sites of modern-day Bratislava and Devín . Biatecs , silver coins with inscriptions in the Latin alphabet, represent the first known use of writing in Slovakia. At the northern regions, remnants of the local population of Lusatian origin, together with Celtic and later Dacian influence, gave rise to
11880-653: The rivalry between Austria and Transylvania , and the frequent insurrections against the Habsburg monarchy inflicted a great deal of devastation, especially in the rural areas. In the Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) a Turkish army led by the Grand Vizier decimated Slovakia. In 1682, the Principality of Upper Hungary , a short-lived Ottoman vassal state, was established in the territory of modern Slovakia. Prior to this, regions on its southern rim were already encompassed in
12000-461: The significant growth in production of copper, especially in central Slovakia (for example in Špania Dolina ) and northwest Slovakia. Copper became a stable source of prosperity for the local population. After the disappearance of the Čakany and Velatice cultures, the Lusatian people expanded building of strong and complex fortifications, with the large permanent buildings and administrative centres. Excavations of Lusatian hill forts document
12120-471: The substantial development of trade and agriculture at that period. The richness and diversity of tombs increased considerably. The inhabitants of the area manufactured arms, shields, jewellery, dishes, and statues. The arrival of tribes from Thrace disrupted the people of the Kalenderberg culture, who lived in the hamlets located on the plain ( Sereď ) and in the hill forts like Molpír, near Smolenice , in
12240-520: The supremacy of the king of East Francia in 846, King Louis the German deposed him and assisted Mojmír's nephew Rastislav (846–870) in acquiring the throne. The new monarch pursued an independent policy: after stopping a Frankish attack in 855, he also sought to weaken the influence of Frankish priests preaching in his realm. Duke Rastislav asked the Byzantine Emperor Michael III to send teachers who would interpret Christianity in
12360-599: The territory of the present-day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries. From the late 6th century, parts of modern Slovakia were incorporated in the Avar Khaghanate . In the 7th century, the Slavs played a significant role in the creation of Samo's Empire . In the 9th century, the Avar Khaghanate dissolved, and the Slavs established the Principality of Nitra , which was later conquered by the Principality of Moravia , leading to
12480-508: The unique Púchov culture , with advanced crafts and iron-working, many hill-forts and fortified settlements of central type with the coinage of the "Velkobysterecky" type (no inscriptions, with a horse on one side and a head on the other). This culture is often connected with the Celtic tribe mentioned in Roman sources as Cotini . From 2 CE , the expanding Roman Empire established and maintained
12600-413: The vicinity in order to jointly develop one of Slovakia's major metropolitan areas . The municipal strategy of economic development envisages Banská Bystrica as a regional center of tourism, services, administration, and entrepreneurship. The proclaimed three pillars of the future development are the natural and cultural heritage , information technologies , and infrastructure. GDP per capita in 2001
12720-560: The walls. The town castle served as the town's administrative center and it also protected the king's treasury. The Parish Church (Slovak: Farský kostol ) of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles contains precious Gothic altars and sculptures. One of the altars was carved by the famous Master Paul of Levoča . The church was built in the 13th century. It
12840-556: The year 1381. According to this privilege, Slovaks and Germans were to occupy each half of the seats in the city council of Žilina and the mayor should be elected each year, alternating between those nationalities. This would not be the last such case. In 1465, King Matthias Corvinus founded the Hungarian Kingdom's third university, in Pressburg ( Bratislava ), but it was closed in 1490 after his death. Hussites also settled in
12960-533: Was 6.2% in December 2006, below the country's average of 9.4% at that time. The unemployment rate in the whole country has been decreasing since then, reaching 7.8% in November 2007. The city has a balanced budget of more than one billion Slovak korunas (almost €33 million, as of 2007), with a small deficit of 37 million korunas. More than one fifth of the budget was used for investment. The highest revenue comes from
13080-431: Was 790 per square kilometer in 2005. The population was spread out, with 13.2% under the age of 15, 68.2% in the so-called productive age (15–54 years for women and 15–59 years for men), and 18.6% in the so-called post-productive age (over 54 years for women and over 59 years for men). For every 100 women there were 89.5 men. The population was slightly decreasing (by 423) in 2005, with the number of deaths (727) higher than
13200-484: Was briefly occupied by the German forces before it was liberated by Soviet and Romanian troops on 26 March 1945. After the war, Banská Bystrica became the administrative, economic, and cultural hub of central Slovakia. It has been a university town since the 1950s. Its largest Matej Bel University was founded in 1992. Banská Bystrica lies at an altitude of 362 metres (1,188 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 103.37 square kilometres (39.9 sq mi). It
13320-411: Was created in 1048 by king Andrew I ) called Duchy of Nitra . Comprising roughly the territory of Principality of Nitra and Bihar principality , they formed what was called a tercia pars regni , third of a kingdom. This polity existed up until 1108/1110, after which it was not restored. After this, up until the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the territory of Slovakia was an integral part of
13440-615: Was founded by German settlers, invited by the Hungarian Árpád -kings, during the Middle Ages (as part of the Ostsiedlung ), however it was built upon a former Slavic / Slovakian / Avar settlement. A part of Zolyom county after the Hungarian conquest. During the reign of Béla IV of Hungary it obtained the municipal privileges of a free royal town of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1255 and resettled with Germans from Thüringen. The copper mining town acquired its present picturesque look in
13560-565: Was founded in 1959. It has given the opera world several divas , Edita Gruberová being the most famous one. Every summer, the State Opera organizes a popular open-air festival at Zvolen Castle . Štúdio tanca is a professional contemporary dance theater established in 1998. A professional marionette theater, Bábkové divadlo na Rázcestí (Puppet Theater at the Fork in the Road) founded in 1960, organizes
13680-586: Was mainly based on arable agriculture, as is attested by numerous storage pits . Wheat ( emmer ) and six-row barley formed the basic crops, together with millet , rye and oats , peas , broad beans , lentils , and gold of pleasure (Camelina sativa). Flax was grown, and remains of domesticated apples , pears , and plums have been found. Cattle and pigs were the most important domestic animals, followed by sheep , goats , horses , and dogs . Pictures on Iron Age urns from Silesia attest horse riding, but horses were used to draw chariots as well. Hunting
13800-464: Was one of the largest and most modern early-capitalist firms. An early record of the miners' industrial action is from 1526 when the City Council needed to take refuge within the confines of City Castle. The Ottoman Empire 's thrust northwards led the magistrate to improve the city's fortifications with modern stone walls in 1589, but the Turks never occupied the region. Banská Bystrica became one of
13920-524: Was paid by Croatia ). After it became clear that the Soviet Red Army was going to push the Nazis out of eastern and central Europe, an anti-Nazi resistance movement launched a fierce armed insurrection, known as the Slovak National Uprising , near the end of summer 1944. A bloody German occupation and a guerilla war followed. Germans and their local collaborators completely destroyed 93 villages and massacred thousands of civilians, often hundreds at
14040-465: Was rarely used afterwards. The Old German name Neusohl ("New Zvolen") (first recorded in 1300) and later its Latin version ( Neosolium ) reflected the fact that some early settlers came from the nearby town of Zvolen (at the time known in German as Altsohl , literally "Old Zvolen"). The two names have been used in parallel and even complementary (as in Novizolii Bistriciensis ) throughout
14160-828: Was re-established after the country's liberation at the end of the war. Following the Soviet-backed coup of 1948 , Czechoslovakia became a communist state within the Eastern Bloc , a satellite state of the Soviet Union behind the Iron Curtain and member of the Warsaw Pact . Attempts to liberalise communism culminated in the Prague Spring , which was suppressed by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. In 1989,
14280-842: Was seen as the oppression of the German Habsburgs. From 22 to 28 February 1959 the first festival of the Czechoslovak cinema was presented in Banská Bystrica. While it was planned by Český film as a showcase of the national film production it turned into a tribunal for those films that did not fit the ideological guidelines of the Communist Party. Several films were banned, among them: Tri prání directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos , Zde jsou lvi by Václav Krška , Hvezda jede na jih by Oldrich Lipský and Konec jasnovidce by Vladimír Svitáček and Ján Roháč . There are four folklore ensembles for adults and three for children. Their aim
14400-517: Was €3,643, which was below Slovakia's average (€4,400). GDP per capita for the Banská Bystrica Region ( Banskobystrický kraj ) in 2004 was PPS €10,148.70 (current euros), which was below Slovakia's average of PPS €12,196.20. More recent data disaggregated to the level of districts or municipalities are not available, but all of Slovakia's regional seats have per-capita GDPs above their region averages. The unemployment rate in Banská Bystrica
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