Nová Baňa (german: Königsberg; hu, Újbánya) is a small town in the west of central Slovakia and the largest town of the
Žarnovica District
Žarnovica District () is a Districts of Slovakia, district in
the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. Until 1918, the district was mostly part of the Administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Hungary, county of Kingdom of Hungary of Tek ...
, located in the
Banská Bystrica Region
The Banská Bystrica Region ( sk, Banskobystrický kraj, ; hu, Besztercebányai kerület, ) is one of the Regions of Slovakia, eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest region by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. ...
.
Etymology
The original name of Nová Baňa was Štiavnica - derived from the still existing spring water ( sk, šťava, štiavnica resp. ščevnica - "acid water"). The town was first mentioned as ''nova montanya Schewnyche'' (1337). The Slovak name was adopted also by German colonists (Schennych, Sewniche). Contemporary description ''noua montanya regis'' (new royal mine) became the basis of newer Slovak (''Nová Baňa''), German (''Königsberg'') and Hungarian name (''Újbánya''). In the mid-14th century, the new name became dominant probably to distinguish the town from
Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica (; german: Schemnitz; hu, Selmecbánya (Selmec), ) is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as the Štiavnica Mountai ...
.
Geography
Nová Baňa lies in right bank of
Hron
The Hron ( sk, Hron; german: Gran; hu, Garam; la, Granus) is a long left tributary of the DanubeŠtiavnica Mountains on the east,
Pohronský Inovec
Pohronský Inovec is a mountain range in Slovakia, part of the Slovenské stredohorie ranges of the Inner Western Carpathians.
The range is volcanic in origin, and composed of andesite and rhyolites. The highest peak is ''Veľký Inovec'' ( ...
on the south-west and Vtáčnik on the north-west). Seven kilometers from Nová Baňa, close by the village
Tekovská Breznica
Tekovská Breznica (german: Bresnitz an der Gran, hu, Barsberzence) is a municipality in the Žarnovica District, Banská Bystrica Region in Slovakia.
Location
The village is 5 km south of Nová Baňa
Nová Baňa (german: Königsberg; ...
, is the youngest volcano in Central Europe called Putikov vŕšok.
History
Early settlement of the area is documented by old Slavonic
hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Rom ...
Zámčisko built on the place of older
Hallstatt
Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammer ...
hillfort. In the late 13th century, there was probably not any more significant village but dispersed Slovak settlements. Later, the burghers from
Kremnica
Kremnica (; german: Kremnitz, hu, Körmöcbánya) is a town in central Slovakia. It has around 5,300 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.
Name ...
and Pukanec settled here, because gold was discovered in the area. In 1345 Nová Baňa became a "free royal mining town". The German "guests" had an important role in the development and administration of the town (almost all recorded names of mayors and members of the town council are exclusively German). In the 15th century, the town became less attractive for German miners because of the decline of the mining activities. Thereafter, Slovaks strengthen their position in the town and began to participate in the administration. The mines were closed down in 1887.
Demographics
According to the 2001
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
, the town had 7,505 inhabitants. 97.51% of inhabitants were
Slovaks
The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak.
In Slovakia, 4.4 ...
, 0.85
Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Or ...
and 0.48%
Czechs
The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, ...
. The religious makeup was 82.53%
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 11.50% people with no religious affiliation and 1.00% Orthodox.
Twin towns — sister cities
Nová Baňa is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...