The city of Banská Bystrica is the most important historical, cultural and economic centre of the central Slovakia. It is also a seat of the Low Tatras National Park administration. It is situated at the river Hron in the Zvolenská Lowland, close to the Kremnické Vrchy (Kremnické Mountains), Veľká Fatra (Great Fatra) and the Nízke Tatry (Low Tatras).
The first written reference about the city is from the year 1255, when it was inhabited by German colonists that settled down in this region. The city succeeded in getting a lot of royal privileges and from the 13-th century it had its own coat-of-arms.
After 1380 Banská Bystrica became a leader in a union of mining towns. At the beginning, gold and silver were mined here, but from the 14-th century it was especially copper, quicksilver and lead. After economic decline in the 15-th century the Thurzo-Fugger Company renewed the mining industry and exported copper to the Western European market.
In the 16-th century crafts and trade activities gained on importance. The first manufactures arose in the 18-th century. In the second half of the 19-th century they transformed into industrial factories that produced textile, blueprint, manufactured wood, cereals, beer and spirit. A very important development factor for the city was building a railway Zvolen - Banská Bystrica in 1873 and its enlargement to Podbrezová town in 1884.
During the World War II. on August 29, 1944, partisans liberated Banská Bystrica from the German occupation and the city became the centre of the Slovak National Uprising. The Slovak Army and guerrilla troops had the seat here and a guerrilla broadcaster transmitted from the city. The German Army occupied the city since October 27, 1944. They transported partisans into concentration camps in Germany. The local inhabitants and soldiers escaped into the Low Tatras mountains where they continued fighting against occupants.
Banská Bystrica is a municipal cultural reservation with a complex of objects that create a town's castle.
In the centre, there is a Roman-Catholic church of Holy Mary, originally built in the Roman style in the 13-th century. It was rebuilt in the 14-th, 15-th and 16-th century. After it burned up in 1761 its interior gained late-baroque appearance. In the church, there is a precious side-altar of St. Barbora from Master Paul from Levoča, a gothic stone baptistery, a stone relief and side-altars of Maria Magdalena from the end of the 15-th century.
Other precious monuments in the city are: Matej´s House, Mining bastion, Slovak church, Parish bastion, Church of St. Elisabeth, Town-Hall, gothic and renaissance townsmen houses (Thurzo´s house, Benický´s house). Moreover, you can find here also a theatre of J. G. Tajovský.
