Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica
City
Banská Bystrica's main square
Coat of arms
Name origin: "mining creek"
Country	Slovakia
River	Hron
Elevation	362 m (1,188 ft)
Coordinates	48°43′57″N 19°08′57″E
Area	103.37 km² (39.91 sq mi)
Population	78 327 (2011-12-31)
Density	775 /km² (2,007 /sq mi)
First mentioned	1255
Mayor	Peter Gogola (Independent)
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	97401
Area code	+421-48
Car plate	BB
Location of Banská Bystrica within Slovakia
Wikimedia Commons: Banská Bystrica
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
Website: eng.banskabystrica.sk

Banská Bystrica (German: Neusohl, Hungarian: Besztercebánya, Latin: Villa Nova), is a large town in central Slovakia, on the Hron river.

History

It was first mentioned in 1255 as a royal free mining town. The town had rich ore deposits, mainly copper, and to a lesser extent silver, gold and iron. As the deposits were depleted, the town has reoriented to the industry. During the World War II, the Slovak National Uprising broke out in the town.

Sister cities

• - Durham, England
• - Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
• - Salgótarján, Hungary
• - Tula, Russia
• - Herzliya, Israel
• - Larissa, Greece
• - Montana, Bulgaria
• - Tarnobrzeg, Poland
• - Zadar, Croatia
• - Ascoli Piceno, Italy
• - Halberstadt, Germany
• - Dabas, Hungary
• - Budva, Montenegro
• - Radom, Poland
• - Kovačica, Serbia
• - Vršac, Serbia

Other websites

• Official site