Banská Štiavnica - mesto svetového dedičstva

Seven wonders of Banská Štiavnica

The ancient world had its seven wonders. Banská Štiavnica has  even more, though, if the truth be told, these wonders have Štiavnica dimensions and a Štiavnica character. The visitor to our town would, however,be the poorer if he didn't learn something of these wonders...

IN  ŠTIAVNICA SNOW FALLS EVERY YEAR ON ST. PETER AND PAUL
This sentence will undoubtedly create surprise regarding the climatic anomalies in Štiavnica. As the saint's day of Peter and Paul marks the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, the hottest time of the year! If, however, someone were to make a bet that it is not true, he would most certainly lose. As this matter relates not to the saint's day of these saints, but rather their statues on the facade of the parish church - the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary R(for Štiavnica residents - the German Church). When it snows, the snow falls on them too and wraps them in an attractive cloak. There can be no doubt then, that here in Štiavnica, snow falls on St. Peter and Paul every year.

THE MYSTERIOUS HANDS OF THE TOWN HALL CLOCK
Anyone who would wish to know the exact time from the Štiavnica Town Hall clock, can expect a surprise. It will show the onlooker a time that will be very different to that which he expected. After receiving the explanation that the clock's hands have been installed in an opposite manner to other clocks, and thus the big hand marks the hours and the small hand the minutes, the confused foreigner can breath a sigh of relief. It is only one of the Štiavnica wonders. It came about during the renovation of the Town Hall in the 18th century and a number of explanations for it exist.  According to one, the clock master came from a land where such an installation of the hands was the norm. According to another, the hands were installed by the master's apprentice and, watched over by the severe town councillors, and conscious of the weight of his responsibility, he simply got the hands mixed up. The error was not noticed until the clock makers had left town... Well, there is one further version: the town councillors were of the opinion that an hour is longer than a minute and so warranted the longer hand. And one last version - when the clock was inspected, they had drunk more than usual and nobody noticed...

THE GOAT TETHERED TO THE CHIMNEY
Goats used to be widely kept in the poorer parts of Štiavnica. The goat is known for its voracious appetite, but it will eat almost anything. You need only tether it somewhere in the garden and it will thrive on the very slightest of vegetation. However, the gardens in Štiavnica are very steep and are sometimes located at the same level as the roofs of the mining houses. The owner of such a house was able without difficulty to tether his goat to the chimney - he didn't need a stake and
he didn't need to worry that his goat would eat the neighbour's grass.

UPPER STORIES AND GROUND FLOORS CHANGED PLACES
Banská Štiavnica houses are built into an unbelievably hilly terrain. So, sometimes it happens that we enter a house from the road or path by the first or second floor
and then descend the stairs to reach the ground floor. Should you be in doubt, you can check this wonder for yourself in the heart of the town. The ground floor of the back of Oberaigner's house on Holy Trinity Square is reached via the first floor entrance on Starozámocká Street 19 with its beautiful portal decorated by vine leaf and grape motifs. From Holy Trinity Square, you enter the ground floor of the front of the house.

WHEN WATER FLOWED ACROSS THE BRIDGE
Bridges are built around the world to allow people to cross rivers and brooks. In Štiavnica, the reverse was true - the water flowed across the bridge, the people and the carts went under the bridge. In the past, an aqueduct was built in Kysihýbel above the road to Banský Studenec (Kolpachy), along which water flowed from Banský Studenec to Štiavnica. And thus another Štiavnica wonder was born. The aqueduct, which is today dry, can be seen on the left side of the road to Banský Studenec.

THE BULL IN THE CHIMNEY
Is there a chimney anywhere in the world that a bull could fit into? In Štiavnica, the answer is yes. It is not, however, a chimney on the roof of a house. "Chimney" is also the name given to the ventilation shafts of the mines. And once, when a bull grazing in a meadow fell into such a chimney, he had to spend the night in a six metre deep hole. The bull, unable to scramble out, had to be rescued by the mine rescue  workers.

ONE MORE "CLOCK " WONDER IN BANSKÁ ŠTIAVNICA
The view from the New Castle gave early notice of the approach of uninvited guests. A tower sentry, with a blast on his horn every quarter of an hour, gave notice that he was on guard and the town was not under threat. And thus the tradition of the Štiavnica live clock was born.  In our time, this tradition was revived and until recently the sound of the horn resounded from the New Castle every fifteen minutes. This proved a great attraction for visitors to our town, and for Štiavnica residents a reminder of how quickly time flies...

(THE SOURCE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TEXTS ON THES SOURCE FOR THE
INDIVIDUAL TEXTS ON THESE PHENOMENA IS THE PUBLICATION -
ŠTIAVNICKÉ DIVY (ŠTIAVNICA WONDERS), 1998 BY MARIÁN
LICHNER AND IGOR LACKOVIČ).