Hotels in Kremnica: Castle, Mint and Mining History

Kremnica preserves a minting tradition that reaches far back into history: the Kremnica Mint was granted the right to mint coins in 1328 and is one of the oldest continuously operating companies in the world. The Kremnica Mint exhibition includes a tour of the historic minting facility. Visitors can mint a jeton themselves on a historic coining machine, known as a balance press.

Culture and History

Kremnica Castle is a national cultural monument. It consists of buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries protected by a double wall. At the center of the castle stands the Gothic Church of St. Catherine, dedicated to the city's patron saint and featuring a Neo-Gothic interior. Kremnica's historic center is surrounded by a stone fortification wall that connects to the fortifications of the castle grounds and is between 5 and 7 meters high in places.

Several areas of the castle combine historic rooms with exhibitions. The former town hall of Kremnica Castle now houses the “Barokové plastiky” exhibition. The Small Tower of the castle houses the “Kremnické zvony a zvonolejári” exhibition about Kremnica's bells and bell founders; it is supplemented by audio recordings of local bells. The castle's former guardroom is open to visitors and offers panoramic views of the city and the surrounding hills. It can be reached via a spiral staircase with 127 steps.

Outside the castle, exhibitions also focus on distinctive aspects of Kremnica. The exhibition in the Burgher House displays 138 painted shooting targets dating from 1837 to 1896 and is considered the third-largest collection of its kind in Slovakia. The Múzeum gýča exhibition comprises more than 4,000 exhibits. For visitor groups, the Múzeum gýča offers special guided tours of its collection.

Events

The Kremnické Gagy festival has been held in Kremnica since 1981 on the last weekend of August as an international festival of humor and satire. During Kremnické Gagy, theater, music, puppetry, visual arts, pantomime, clowning, recitation and street art from Slovakia and many European countries are presented in the city center on more than ten stages and performance platforms. The Church of St. Catherine in Kremnica is also the annual venue for the European Organ Festival Kremnický hradný organ.

Mining and Trails

Kremnica's mining history is not confined to exhibitions. The Mining Museum in the Andrej Adit allows visitors to access part of Kremnica's underground mine workings. During the tour of the mining museum in the Andrej Adit, visitors pass workplaces from various eras and eventually reach a presentation of the 16th century.

The “Po stopách baníckej činnosti” route is an easy walk through former gold- and silver-mining areas and combines nature with Kremnica's mining history. Another perspective is offered by Kremnica's historic circular trail, which takes visitors through the heart of the historic city center. In the vicinity of Kremnica, the Skalka arena offers more than 5 km of downhill runs and almost 60 km of cross-country ski trails.

Landscape

Kremnica's Calvary comprises 14 Stations of the Cross chapels and the Church of the Holy Cross in a 10-hectare architecturally designed landscape complex used as a place for recreation and relaxation. The ascent to the Calvary forms part of an educational trail leading to a lookout tower. In favorable weather, this lookout tower offers views of Kremnický Štós, Skalka, Kremnické Bane, Jarabica and Sitno in the Štiavnica Mountains.

Culinary Specialties

Atkáryho kremnické krumple has its own historic tradition. It is a historic confectionery workshop where visitors can buy and taste the specialty and watch it being made.

Other destinations in the same travel area: Krahule, Lúčky, Hronská Dúbrava, Ihráč, Vyhne, Stará Kremnička, Kremnické Bane, Heiligenkreuz.

To the overarching travel overview: Žiar Nad Hronom.