Attractions on the way

3.7.20

On the way to Sliac near Banska Bystrica, there are several attractions to visit. The first stop is the Mlynany Arboretum. The huge garden/park area houses around 2300 species of trees and shrubs. You can stroll through the facility on well-marked paths and enjoy the diverse plant world. There are small ponds with water lilies, a pagoda, a Japanese pavilion, a rose garden, and more. Everything is well maintained and you could walk around for hours. We spend 1 ½ hours there.

Then we continue to the Hronsky Benadik Monastery, where the Hron (Gran) River leaves the Carpathian Mountains and flows towards the Danube Plain at the "Slovak Gate". In the 11th century, Benedictine monks founded a monastery here. Through renovations, the church acquired the character of a castle in the 16th century. We arrive just in time for a guided tour. It is in Slovak, but the guide and two of the participants make an effort to translate something into German for us. The church is richly decorated, with the altar and its magnificent wooden figures being particularly valuable. As a highlight, we are shown a relic of the holy blood.

After so much nature and culture, our next path leads to Banska Stiavnica. This city was one of the most important mining centers in Europe in the Middle Ages. German miners from the Ore Mountains were enticed here at that time. There are still some testimonies of this in the cityscape.

We stroll through the picturesque streets of the old town and enjoy coffee and cake in a pretty historic courtyard.

Afterwards, it is not far to our accommodation. Our booked "Villa Green" pleasantly surprises us, and we will feel comfortable here for the next two nights and can end this day in a relaxed way.