After many years, the unique water adit in Štiavnické Bane, which connects the Richňava water reservoir with the Bakomi water reservoir, has been officially opened again. The so-called Partisan adit is 350 metres long and connects not only the two aforementioned water reservoirs, but also the two basins of the Ipeľ and Hron rivers.
As the Regional Organisation of Tourism (OOCR) Banská Štiavnica Region informs, the adit was excavated hundreds of years ago for the purpose of transporting water to the water reservoirs, while it was used to drive mining machines.
As Pavel Michal, the director of the Maximilián Hell Primary School and Kindergarten in Štiavnické Bane, told about the history of the adit: "However, it is also unique because of the war story. At the end of the Second World War in 1945, it received the epithet 'Partisan' due to the historical events that took place there." approximates OOCR. The partisans, with the help of local people, hid in this aditr, from which they conducted reconnaissance operations in the rear of the German enemy defence fortifications. "The partisans were able to use the information obtained in this way during the liberation of Banská Štiavnica, when on March 4, 1945 they informed the Soviet army, which was located near Dekýš at that time, about the deployment of enemy forces".
During the liberation, a local man led soldiers of the Red and Romanian armies under the defence lines of the Germans. Thanks to this, the German defence was destroyed and Banská Štiavnica was quickly liberated. The restoration of the adit was initiated by the vice-president of the OOCR Banská Štiavnica Region Ľudovít Kaník and it was undertaken by the Friends of the M. Hell Primary School with Kindergarten in cooperation with the municipality of Štiavnické Bane and the adit administrator Slovak Water Management Company. Its cleaning and repair were financially supported by the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic in two stages, with a total amount of almost 30,000 euros as a monument of military history. As part of its implementation, a commemorative and information board was added, which are available to the general public.
