SEE MY FACEBOOK GROUP ON MOTORHOME TRAVEL : https://www.facebook.com/motorhomefulltime In this film, I leave Zvolen and head the 20km route towards Banská Bystrica in Slovakia on the E77 route. I get lost en route owing to new roads which are not shown on my satellite navigation system. Zvolen has been inhabited since Paleolithic times and the first Slav settlement was founded in the ninth century. In the 11th and 12th centuries, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, Pustý hrad, was constructed. The town, originally built under the castle, lay on an important trade route (Via Magna) from Buda to Kraków. Zvolen was granted town privileges by King Béla IV in the 1230s - as one of the first towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. The privileges were confirmed on 28 December 1243. King Louis I built a new castle, which became a popular hunting resort of the Hungarian kings. The future queen regnant Mary of Hungary and emperor Sigismund celebrated their wedding there in 1385. In the Rákóczi's War of Independence the Kuruc army in the battle of Zvolen defeated forces from Austria, Denmark, Vojvodina and Hungary. In 1848-49, Ľudovít Štúr was a member of the Diet, with Zvolen as his constituency. In 1871-1872, two new railways were built and Zvolen became an important railroad hub and important industrial centre. Zvolen played an important role during the Slovak National Uprising. Two of its armored trains, which were made in the local railway manufactory, Hurban and Štefánik can be seen near the Zvolen castle. Zvolen is an important railroad, an important road hub and has a large timber factory and a technical university. An airport in nearby Sliač offers direct flights to Prague. The town square was modernized in 2002 and local businesses are popular with tourists. In wintertime an ice rink is constructed in the center and festive celebrations run throughout December. Banská Bystrica was founded thanks to deposits of copper, silver, gold, and iron. The present city was built upon a former Slavic settlement which became part of the Kingdom of Hungary. According to Slovak archaeologists Banská Bystrica started as a permanent settlement in the 9th century although it may have been destroyed by the Mongols in 1243--44. In 1255 King Béla IV granted Banská Bystrica extensive municipal privileges, in order to attract more skilled settlers. Descendants of the German immigrants to this and other counties became later known as the Carpathian Germans. Banská Bystrica became one of the world's largest producers of copper by the 16th century. With the most sophisticated mining technologies in Europe, an advanced accounting system, and benefits including medical care for its 1,000 employees, the main mining company Ungarischer Handel was one of the largest and most modern early-capitalist firms. Banská Bystrica became one of the foremost centers of the Protestant Reformation in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 16th century. Copper deposits had been all but depleted by the 18th century, but new industries, such as timber, paper, and textiles, developed. During World War II, Banská Bystrica became the center of anti-Nazi opposition in Slovakia when the Slovak National Uprising, one of the largest anti-Nazi resistance events in Europe, was launched from the city on 29 August 1944. The insurgents were defeated on 27 October, however, and Banská Bystrica was briefly occupied by the German forces before it was liberated by Soviet and Romanian troops on 26 March 1945. After the war, Banská Bystrica became the administrative, economic, and cultural hub of central Slovakia. It has been a university town since the 1950s. Its largest Matej Bel University was founded in 1992. Banská Bystrica lies at an altitude of 362 metres above sea level and covers an area of 103.37 square kilometres. Banská Bystrica is situated in the Hron River valley (Slovak: Pohronie). The Hron River curves through the city from the east to the south. The city nests among three mountain chains: the Low Tatras to the north-east, the Veľká Fatra to the north-west, and the Kremnica Mountains to the west. All three are protected areas because of their environmental value. Banská Bystrica hosts the headquarters of the Low Tatra National Park. Despite the proximity of these mountain ranges, the local landscape is dominated by the much lower Urpín Mountain, 510 metres.

• published: 25 Jan 2014
• views: 94