Banská Bystrica, Regional capital in central Slovakia.
Banská Bystrica is a regional capital in central Slovakia, set between several mountain ranges and a river. The city organizes itself around a central square where a clock tower and multi-story buildings with steep roofs stand, while narrow streets lead to smaller courtyards and passages.
In the thirteenth century, German settlers founded this place because of the copper deposits, which were mined for centuries. The town gained urban privileges in the mid-thirteenth century and grew into a major trading center for mining products and goods.
The statues in the center of the square recall the royal privileges that once governed trade and mining activities. Families and friends meet in front of the colored facades of the townhouses to share coffee or walk through the narrow lanes together.
The old town can be explored on foot, and most sights lie close together in a compact area. Travelers can use the central square as a starting point to orient themselves in the surrounding neighborhoods and plan walking tours.
A large museum documents the uprising of nineteen forty-four, which began from here and marked a turning point in Slovak history. Visitors find displays there with military material and personal belongings of the resistance fighters from that time.
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