QUITE a lot of literature about Slovak mining towns has been preserved as many educated people took an interest in these towns because of their enormous wealth. A description of Kremnica and its vicinity dating back to 1742 mentions several interesting facts about the life of the town and the times in which it was written.
For example the tall hill above the town, now called Kremnický štít, used to be called Male Rock – as the top part of the rock resembles a phallic symbol. Another of the hills bore the name Revolta, but this meant only Roe Deer Forest from Reh Wälder in German.
The hill currently named Šturec came to exist in 1443 after a massive earthquake caved in the middle part of the hill along with underground mining areas. The 1742 text also mentions Galgenberg, meaning Gallows Hill, which very probably was situated there during the Middle Ages as served as the place where the town’s accused criminals met their maker.
Another period notation is interesting: it said that precious stones of many colours could be found around Kremnica and its surroundings and claimed they had been created by evaporation of gases in the town.
The description from nearly three centuries ago also mentions vast suburbs that were reportedly bigger than the town itself. One of these suburbs, called Horná ulica (Upper Street), can be seen in this colourised postcard from the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
17. Oct 2011 at 0:00 | By Branislav Chovan