Plague column

The dominant feature of the square in Banská Štiavnica is the Plague Column with the statue of St. Trinity. The mayor of the city undertook to build the plague statue as a sign of the city's gratitude for the end of the plague epidemic in 1710–1711. The first erected column was simple, but after the imperial visit in 1755, the preparation of a monumental sculpture began according to Viennese models. Dionýz Ignác Stanetti was the designer, Karol Holzknecht was in charge of the stonework. On the pedestal are placed copies of the original sculptures of seven saints, protectors from the sea and patrons of miners: St. Sebastian, St. Francis Xavier, St. Barbara, St. Rochus, St. Catherine, St. Joseph, St. Rosalia. Original, original monumental baroque stone sculptures from the plague statue of St. Trinity on St. Trinity Square (230 cm high and weighing 2 tons) is part of the baroque sculpture exhibition in the premises of the military chapel at the Old Castle in Banská Štiavnica.

GPS: 48.4597115, 18.8903163

Tajch Veľká vodárenská

Tajch Veľká vodárenská was built around 1500 to 1510 at the expense of the city. It was used to supply the population with drinking or utility water, but also as a reservoir in case of fire fighting. The Tajch was filled with water both by gravity from its own basin and by a constant inflow of water from the Šobov tunnel. Its portal is located less than 50 m north of the tajch.

GPS: 48.4664982, 18.8862257

Tajch Malá vodárenská

Tajch Malá vodárenská was built at the end of the first half of the 16th century. It served as a strengthening source of water for the Veľká vodárenská taich. The cost of its construction was provided by the city. The tajch itself was supplied with water by natural gravity from its own territory, but mainly throughout the year from the nearby Spring of St. John and from other smaller sources. Surplus water flowed through the overflow into the Veľká vodárenská tajch located below, with which it formed a single functional system.

The connection of the Veľká vodárenská tajch with the Malá vodárenská tajch was of major importance in that, thanks to the constant inflow from the spring of St. John Tajch Veľká vodárenská had a constant flow of water and did not have to depend only on tidal waves in spring and autumn, but was abundantly supplied throughout the year. The city used this advantage to regularly withdraw water for the population throughout the year (mostly only from the overflow) and at the same time both reservoirs remained full. This functional system served the needs of the city for more than 100 years. From 1627, it was used for the next 100 years in mining activity as an energy source for the Schmidtenrin tunnel.

GPS: 48.467501, 18.886936

Tajch Červená studňa

Tajch was built at the junction of the Hron and Ipeľ basins at the beginning of the second half of the 18th century at an altitude of 787 m above sea level. m. The construction of the taich was designed by Jozef Karol Hell. He used its strategic location to build a driving ditch that brought water to the Amália shaft to drive a water column pumping machine. This machine was also constructed by Jozef Karol Hell and had it built into the shaft in 1754. The machine was only in operation when there was enough water in the taich, especially in spring and autumn. It was during these seasons that the taich was abundantly supplied with surface water from three collecting ditches, northern, southern and western, with a total length of more than 2 km. In this period, there was also the most water in the mines. Since the Amália shaft was connected to other shafts in Štiavnické Bany, the water from the tajch played an important role not only for the aforementioned shaft, but also for other shafts in this mining area. In 1759, the Červená studňa taich also supplied water to the Klinger taich and subsequently also to drive the water column pumping machine installed at the Žigmund shaft. This machine was the only one in the Banská Štiavnica ore district built on the surface.

The location of the taich is also significant from a geographical point of view. It was built in the immediate vicinity of the intersection, from which the roads diverge to three, once very important mining centers, Banská Štiavnica, Hodruša and Vyhne.

GPS: 48.46858, 18.88342

Tajch Ottergrund

Tajch Ottergrund is situated on the eastern slopes of Paradajs Hill (939 m above sea level) west of Banská Štiavnica. It belongs to the system of Banská Štiavnica water reservoirs. With the height of the crown of the dam at elevation 801.28 m above sea level. m. is the highest water reservoir in the Banská Štiavnice ore district.

It was possible to supply water from the Ottergrun tajch all the way to the Amália shaft. On the basis of this knowledge, it can be concluded that in the past, surface water from the Ottergrund tajch was discharged through the discharge tunnel into the drive ditch, which diverted water from the Červená studňa tajch. If necessary, the surface water from these two taiches was transported through a driving ditch to the Amália shaft, where it was used to drive mining equipment.

GPS: 48.46115, 18.88

Tajch Klinger

The original Klinger tajch was already built in 1759. However, the volume of the tajch was not sufficient for the requirements of the Ondrej shaft, and therefore it was proposed to build a new, larger tajch, located lower in the valley. In 1829, the dam of the original taich was dismantled. The material was used for the construction of the new Klinger taicha. The missing material was brought along the first surface railway line in Slovakia. The construction of the tajch took 4 years. In September 1832, the guide side of the dam slid massively during construction. It seems that materials were spared in the construction of the dam because there was a shortage of it. As for the construction of the dam itself, it carries new safety elements, such as a stabilizing bench on the air side of the dam. Klinger is the only tajch from the 19th century, and therefore the youngest tajch from Banská Štiavnica.

GPS: 48.4513479, 18.8805079

Nový zámok

The new castle was built between 1564 and 1571 on a hill near the Piarg Gate. The fortress, or watchtower, was named the New Castle in contrast to the Old Castle, which was created from the original medieval parish church. The name "Virgin" (or "Girlish") castle is related to the late Gothic church of Our Lady of the Snows and the Frauenberg hill on which the castle is built.

The fortress was built as a massive prismatic tower, initially with a pair of round cannon bastions on opposite corners, later supplemented with the same bastions on the raised edges of the building. Originally, this object was accessible at floor level by a tilting ramp and has been preserved almost intact. The ground floor has a larger space covered by a cross vault supported by central pillars. The other floors, except for the vaulted rooms in the bastions, have flat wooden ceilings. The solid character of the building is enhanced by the massive semi-circular entrance located on the 1st floor. The fort was later rebuilt so that today it has four floors with embrasures and cannon holes.

The building served the function of a defensive bastion due to its advantageous strategic location and at the same time was part of the signaling system of the Union of Central Slovak Mining Towns. At the same time, it was supposed to prevent the invasion of the Turks into the city with numerous shooting holes. As late as 1848, there were around 21 works on the terrace around the castle. The Turks did not seriously threaten the well-fortified Banská Štiavnica. After the end of the Turkish wars, they stored gunpowder for mining purposes in the New Castle. Later, the fire patrol was located here. Since 1971, the exhibition of the Slovak Mining Museum has been located here, which documents the period of anti-Turkish struggles in Slovakia. The castle has been renovated and is open to the public. From its upper floor there is a nice view of Banská Štiavnica. The expositions show a map of our territory during the Turkish occupation, visual material from the Turkish wars, and on three floors there are still weapons used in those times.

Despite the fact that this object bears the name of a castle, in history it only had the function of a watchtower, the nobility never lived there and it was home only to soldiers who protected Banská Štiavnica from Turkish raids.

GPS: 48.4556599, 18.8946628

Piarg gate

To the privileges of the so-called the free royal city belonged to the fact that it could be surrounded by city walls. Such walls once protected one of the oldest Slovak free royal cities – Banská Štiavnica. To this day, only one fortress gate, the so-called Piargska. This gate was built in 1554 in the Renaissance style, but was later modified in the Baroque style, and this modification has remained to this day. The gate, which together with the New Castle once protected the road to Banská Štiavnica from Pukanec and Štiavnické Baní, is formed by a low prismatic tower with a passage. In the past, two cylindrical bastions stood on the sides of this tower, but today only one can be seen here - the other was demolished during the Second World War. The Piarg gate is a very nice monument with a special charm, which is further enhanced by the view of the New Castle.

GPS: 48.4555085, 18.8907279

Mining Knocker

Knocker was once a miner's alarm clock, a dungeon and an insurance company. Today there is an excellent tea room in the knocker building.

The two-story tower-like Renaissance-Baroque building (1681) has a shingle roof topped by a small turret with sound holes. From the Klopačka tower, calls were made to the mine by knocking on a wooden board, and the morning shift started at half past three in the morning. Knocking was also heard on festive occasions, mining meetings, funerals and fires. Two rooms to the right of the entrance portal on the ground floor of the building served as a prison for miners convicted by the Mining Court in the 18th and 19th centuries. Knocker was also home to the Frats treasury, a kind of mining insurance company, in which miners deposited part of their earnings to support the sick, widows and orphans. The last modification of the building took place in the 19th century, when a lateral ground-floor extension was completed. Since 2000, there has been a tea house in the Knocker.

GPS: 48.4576971, 18.8905467