Banská Bystrica is called the heart of Slovakia, and not only because of its location. In this city, an ordinary boy once won the heart of a noble girl. It was the second evening of the Radvaň fair when a young noble lady named Ester decided to go for a walk around the lively town square. She was from an aristocratic family of Ringbürgers. Her father came from Bratislava but met his wife in Banská Bystrica and settled there. He was a respected doctor who raised his daughter with love yet strictly. He loved her more than anything and wrapped his only child in cotton wool. He also wanted her to be clever enough to handle the big world on her own. He paid for the best teacher in the city, and so Ester was not only polite, beautiful and honest but also educated. She was the best bride around. Ester had just turned sixteen and was already considered eligible for marriage. However, her father did not want her to rush into marriage, because he wanted to choose the best groom that would deserve her. One day as Ester was walking with her maid, she spotted two men threatening a helpless miner down a side street. She ran up to them without hesitation. “Let go of him instantly!” she yelled at the men. “Who are you to tell us what to do?” said the strangers as they turned around and moved closer to her. “My name is Ester and if you do not let him be right now, I will call the gendarmes!” “I remember where I know you from! You are the daughter of Ringbürger, our doctor,” said one of them and they ran away. “I owe you, madam,” said the boy trembling as he kneeled before her. “Stand up, please. It is not necessary to kneel. Come with me to my house, and I will give you a glass of water and something to eat. I am Ester, a doctor’s daughter from Bystrica.” “My name is Matej. My father is a miner and now I am helping him in the mine,” the boy introduced himself. Ester kept her word and took him to the big house of her father, where she lived. She treated him like any other guest who had visited them before. She also mended a couple of his wounds that the roughers had caused him. Matej thanked her and left. She did not see him for a while afterwards. On a beautiful sunny day, Ester went out with her maid again. She heard somebody calling out her name. She looked around and saw Matej standing next to the water pond for cattle in the lower part of the square. Ester ran up to him joyfully. He was happy to see her again. In his pocket, he had a heart-shaped piece of copper that he had dug out of the mine. “Could you give me your hand, my lady?” he asked her. Ester looked at him with confusion but gave him her hand. He placed the copper heart in it along with a note. “Please, open your hand only when you get home,” he told her. She uttered thank you, even though she did not know what for. She kept her fist closed so tightly, that nothing could fall out. She hurried home to see what was hidden in her palm. As soon as she looked atthe copper heart, her own jumped with joy. She liked Matej from the first moment. She unrolled the piece of paper which said: “By the water pond when the clock strikes 8. I will be waiting. Matej”. Ester got excited, although she did not know how to sneak out without her maid noticing. It was the first time she had to lie to her father. Alica, her maid, was the same age as her. They had been friends since early childhood. Alica’s mother used to work as a maid for the Ringbürger’s family as well but unexpectedly died one day. The family took care of the daughter and she was a good company to Ester. Both agreed that they would go out together and then Ester would give Alica some time off so that she could be with Matej. The two girls agreed to meet by the clock tower just before midnight. Ester informed her father that she was going out with Alica and left. 25 After Alica left her alone, Ester ran directly towards the water pond where she had seen him from a distance. He was waiting as he had promised. The couple talked for a long time and they even kissed goodbye. She got back to Alica at midnight and the girls returned home together. Matej and Ester had been seeing each other like this for several months every Monday evening.One night Matej proposed to her. She said yes and could not waitfortheir upcoming wedding. Firstly, they needed her parents‘ blessing. Although Ester was over the moon with excitement, it worried her a bit. Matej calmed her down and took her hand into his. They headed to her parents’ house together. However, her father had different plans for Ester. Ester’s parents welcomed Matej warmly because they thought he was coming as a thankful patient. When they learned the whole truth about their secret dates and the love they shared, Ester’s father was furious. He called Alica and fired her because she lied and did not watch over his daughter. Ester wanted to intervene but it was too late. Her father said: “I always taught you to speak truthfully and to respect your father and mother. You lied, and that is the biggest sin in this house. You will never get my blessing! You come from a noble family. And who is he?!” “You think I am just a poor man, don’t you?” Matej asked her father who glared at him. The boy left; Ester ran into her room weeping. She spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to convince her father, but nothing came to mind. She woke up in the morning, determined to fight for their love and approached her father again. He thought about it for a while and then ordered Matej to be brought back. Ester eagerly ran to get him. Matej did not want to go back at first, but then, he agreed to go. Ester’s father was waiting at the door, “Welcome, Matej! You must be curious why I called you here after what happened yesterday. I decided I would give you a chance. But there is one task you have to accomplish.” Matej said decisively, “I will move mountains for your daughter!” Ester’s father smiled and proclaimed, “It will be something similar. As you surely know, I own land near the clock tower. I will give it to you, yet you have to build a manor house for my daughter there before morning comes. It cannot be just any house. It has to be a small castle that will be named after my beloved dog Barbakan,” he started laughing after he finished. Ester knew thatthis was impossible, which broughttears into her eyes. “Agreed, my lord, and if I manage it, you will give us your blessing,” Matej said firmly. He kissed Ester on the forehead and left the house confidently. He was desperate to figure out how it could be done. Even with thousands of workers, he would not be able to build anything by morning. Suddenly he saw a glow and a person slowly emerging from it. He looked like an angel. Struck with fear and startled, Matej stood there transfixed. The angel said, “Matej, my name is David, the angel of Banská Bystrica. I have been witnessing your pure love for Ester for a long time. I will help you.” Matej was stunned. The angel laid eyes on Ringbürger’s land. All of a sudden, a magnificent manor stood there. It was not as big as the Bratislava castle but much more beautiful. Matej did not even get a chance to say thank you before the angel disappeared. The next morning, when Ester and her father woke up, they saw the beautiful castle on their land. Ester ran up to Matej desperate to know how he had done it. In the meantime, mister Ringbürger gathered his friends by the Town Hall to tell them about the terrible thing that had happened to him. He claimed that Matej had made a deal with Lucifer himself; he could not see any other explanation. The men agreed that it would be better to whip Matej in the torture chamberunderthe clock tower. Theydidnotwant anythingtodowiththedark forces.Matejwas with Ester when the master grabbed him and dragged him to the torture room. Ester screamed and cried, but to no avail. Matej was released after a long and painful time being tortured, but Ester’s father was not happy aboutit. He found a villain who gotrid of Matej forever. 26 As soon as Ester found out, she ran home to recover the copper heart, which Matej had given to her. Herfathertried to stop her, but she broke free. Later he found her body floating on the surface of the Hron river. In her hand, she held a letter which explained that she forgave him and that she had loved her parents more than anything, but that she could not live without Matej. In the letter, she also mentioned the angel that had helped Matej. Herfather suddenly understood everything. In honour of herlove for Matej, he had a crest with red lines made, which symbolized senseless blood-shedding and it was protected by an angel. It has been the official crest of Banská Bystrica ever since.
Story from the book “What is Whispered about the Copper City”, Moskovská 2 Primary School, Banská Bystrica. Author of the story: Jabrocká Noemi, ZŠ, Moskovská 2, Banská Bystrica
