Kremnica

Kremnica
Town
Winter in Kremnica
Car plate		ZH
Website	www.kremnica.sk

Kremnica (pronunciation^ⓘ; German: Kremnitz, Hungarian: 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

The name is derived from Slovak kremeň, kremenina (quartz) with a feminine suffix -ica, functioning to create local names.^[6]

History

Kremnica was among the major

In the 13th century the inhabitants of this area were affected by the invasion of the Mongols. Following that difficult period, Hungarian kings invited new colonists from present-day Germany (more specifically Carpathian Germans/Zipser Germans) to settle in the region to help replenish the decimated population. Their innovative technology and knowledge restored the mining activities in the town. The first written reference to the town dates back to 1328, when it was granted royal town privileges by King Charles I of Hungary.

The town's mint was already in existence at the time of the granting of royal privileges. Starting in 1335 the mint produced golden

At the end of the 14th century, Kremnica became the capital of the mining towns in central Upper Hungary. The steady annual production of gold and silver guaranteed the prosperous development of the town. In the 15th century Kreminca was the second most important city in the Kingdom of Hungary. The town was continuously being granted new privileges and the deputies of the town occupied the second place in the Hungarian Diet (the first place was reserved for the representatives of Buda, the capital of the Kingdom).

Gold mining and coin production in Kremnica culminated in the 14th and 15th centuries. As one of the most important centers of

The castle built in the 13th through 15th centuries towers over the town. In the first half of the 14th century, it became the residence of the Chamber Count. The town was immediately fortified with a double wall containing several bastions and towers. The castle represents a unique example of a very well preserved fortification system in Central Europe. In the 14th century, it developed into a multifunctional complex of buildings and thus became the centre of local administration, religious life, and defense. At the end of the 15th century, the Chamber Count moved to a newly built house with a unique diamond vault. Thereafter the residence of the Count in the castle was converted into the St. Catherine's Church.

Other sites of interest also include the Museum of Coins and Medals, the Museum of Skiing and a historical main square with a monumental Baroque plague column. The Gothic Church of St. Catherine hosts the popular European Organ Festival. A 20-km long aqueduct, built in the 15th century, is still working, supplying three hydroelectric power plants (one of them located 245 m below the ground). Forested mountains around the town offer plenty of opportunities for hiking and cross-country skiing.

The

• Blažej Baláž, Slovak painter
• Ján Levoslav Bella, composer, conductor and music teacher
• Ľudovít Černák, politician and businessman
• Ladislav Chudík, Slovak actor
• Igor Kollár, race walker (representing Czechoslovakia and Slovakia)
• Peter Michalica, violinist
• Jozef Pribilinec, race walker, Olympic gold medalist
• Aaron Samuel ben Moses Shalom of Kremnitz, writer

Gallery

• 
  Town castle
• 
  Main square
• 
  Plague column
• 
  Barbican
• 
  Kremnica, 1729
• 
  Detail of the plague column

Main square

Twin towns — sister cities

Kremnica is

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kremnica.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kremnica.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Körmöczbánya".

• Official municipal website (in Slovak)
• Information for tourists
• Virtual Kremnica - 3D models, panoramas, photographs and more
• Museum of Coins and Medals
• Kremnica Castle
• Kremnické medovníky, Kremnica (in Slovak)