Old Castle in Banská Štiavnica

The Old Castle (Starý zámok, officially Mestský hrad — Town Castle) is one of the oldest buildings of Banská Štiavnica, a mining town on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It stands above Holy Trinity Square at the foot of Paradajs hill, at about 630 m. Today it houses an exhibition of the Slovak Mining Museum (Slovenské banské múzeum), and the structure itself combines a Romanesque basilica, Gothic details, a Renaissance fortress and Baroque additions — more than eight centuries of history around one courtyard.

In the early 13th century the mining community built a Romanesque three-aisled basilica of the Virgin Mary here. In 1442 the church was damaged by the soldiers of Simon Rozgonyi, and in 1443 a strong earthquake ruined it. Facing the threat of Ottoman raids, the townspeople gave up the idea of a grand parish church: in 1495–1515 the basilica was rebuilt and surrounded by walls with round bastions and gun loops, and the vault of the nave was taken down — creating the inner courtyard. The castle is first mentioned in documents in 1486. In 1777 the entrance tower was rebuilt as a Baroque bell tower. In the 19th century, when its defensive role was over, it housed the archive, the library, the town guard, the butchers' ice house and even a gym. Since 1 July 1900 the castle has served as the town museum, and since 1950 it has been a national cultural monument.

What to see

• "On Target" (Na muške) — a modern exhibition of shooting targets: a huge timber structure covered in painted targets recalls the walls of the town shooting range, once lined with them from floor to ceiling, and also the Paris salons of the 18th–19th centuries, where paintings hung densely on every wall.
• The archaeological exhibition "The Miners Are Coming…" — hoards of bronze jewellery, tools and dress fittings from around 900 BC, and finds from excavations on Sitno hill and the site of the Old Town (Glanzenberg).
• The charter of 1275 — the oldest document issued by a town chancery in Slovakia, with the oldest depiction of a town coat of arms in the kingdom and a seal with mining symbols.
• Seven Gothic panel paintings with Marian and Christological cycles, and the original sculptures of the Holy Trinity column from the town square.
• The lapidarium — stone fonts, gravestones, town fountains and a unique cast-iron grave slab of 1598; also Štiavnica's crafts and the wrought and cast crosses of the master smith Karol Fizély.
• St Michael's Chapel (charnel house) with its former ossuary, the defensive walls, bastions and the courtyard with a well.

The outdoor parts are visited on your own. The museum also holds temporary exhibitions.

Practical information

The old town of Banská Štiavnica is compact: the New Castle is only a few hundred metres away and Holy Trinity Square lies just below. The streets are steep, so comfortable shoes help. In October and November 2026 the castle is open Wednesday to Sunday; the summer schedule differs and the museum publishes it month by month. An adult ticket costs €8 and a family ticket €20; other prices are in the "At a glance" box. A tour in English can be booked for a €20 surcharge; reservations are recommended only for schools and large groups.

Allow 1–1.5 hours for a visit. Because of stairs, thresholds and the cobbled courtyard, the castle is hardly suitable for wheelchairs. Children enjoy the targets, the bastions and the bell tower.

Nearby: trails and peaks

Right by the castle starts the First Marked Tourist Trail in Slovakia, and the long Rudná magistrála: Veľký Inovec – Kadak crosses the town on its way through the Štiavnica Mountains towards Sitno. A few hundred metres away stands the New Castle in Banská Štiavnica with its exhibition on the wars against the Ottomans, and on the edge of town you can go underground at the Open-Air Mining Museum.

Official website: muzeumbs.sk

Photos: Ladislav Luppa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Mickapr, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Peko, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Palickap, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.