Banská Štiavnica: 6 wonders that you probably did not know about
Banská Štiavnica12. November 2018
Banská Štiavnica
IN BANSKÁ ŠTIAVNICA ON ST. PETER AND PAUL SNOW FALLS EVERY YEAR
This sentence will undoubtedly provoke astonishment, since the feast of Peter and Paul is at the beginning of the summer. In this case, however, it is not the feast of these saints, but their statues, which are located on the front of the parish Church of the Assumption. When it snows, it always snows at the statues and thus the statues of St. Peter and Paul in Banská Štiavnica snow falls every year.
MYSTERY HANDS OF THE TOWN HOURS
The Town Hall Clock in Banská Štiavnica shows a time that is far from the real one. The explanation is quite simple and interesting. Their hands are placed opposite to the other clocks, so the big one shows the hours and the small minutes. This Stiavnica wonder originated during the reconstruction of the town hall in the 18th century and there are several explanations for it.
According to one, the watchmaker came from a region where such an unusual clockwise installation was experienced.
According to another, they were founded by the apprentices, and under the strict supervision of the lords of the city council, contaminated by so much responsibility, he simply confused the hands. Unfortunately, the error came late, after the watchmaker left the city.
There are several more versions, according to one councilor judged that the hour is longer than a minute, and so it includes a longer hand. Another says that during the occupancy permit hours, a lot of alcohol was drunk and nobody noticed the mistake.
At present, the carillon wins every hour from the town hall tower.
GOAT TIEED TO THE CHIMNEY
Inhabitants of the slopes around Banská Štiavnica once used to keep many goats, which are relatively easy to feed. However, the gardens in Štiavnica are very steep, often even at the roof level of the house. The owner of the building on the hill could thus tie his goat to the chimney without worrying that he would also save the neighbor’s grass.
FLOORS ARE REPLACED
The houses in Banská Štiavnica are spread over very rugged terrain. Often it happens that from the road we enter the house first on the first or second floor and only then we reach the stairs to the ground floor.
BULL IN THE CHIMNEY
When Santa Claus fits into the chimney, in Banska Stiavnica can also bull. However, it is not a chimney on the roof of the house. Chimneys were also called ventilation openings of mining works. It often happened that a bull fell into such a chimney, grazing on a meadow. Scraping out of the chimney was beyond his power, so he had to be pulled out by mining rescuers.
WEIRD WATCHES
The view from the New Chateau enabled the arrival of unauthorized guests in time. The tower guard had to announce every quarter of an hour that the city was in no danger. Now the trumpet sounds every fifteen minutes from New Castle. This interesting attraction reminds residents and visitors of Banská Štiavnica how fast time runs.
