Žiar Nad Hronom – Nature, Castles and Thermal Baths

Žiar nad Hronom takes you to a landscape where natural monuments, mining history, castle trails and thermal water offer a variety of travel experiences. Specific priorities are important when making your choice: protected landscapes and animal species, historical sites in Kremnica, marked hiking trails or a thermal bath open all year round. The Bratislava–Zvolen railway line also runs through Žiar nad Hronom.

Nature among protected areas and rock formations

The Štiavnické vrchy Protected Landscape Area is located in the Žiar nad Hronom District. This natural area is complemented by several protected natural monuments: Ihráčske kamenné more and Jastrabská skala are located in the Žiar nad Hronom District, as is Vyhniansky travertín. Protected animal species in the Žiar nad Hronom District include the Eurasian lynx and the brown bear. One particularly clearly designated protected area is Kremnický Štós. The 187,700 m² nature reserve was established in 1953. It protects volcanic landforms as well as succession stages of mosses and lichens on rocky ground. This precise description makes it clear that the focus here is not only on a landscape designation, but also on a specific geological and botanical development.

Kremnica: mint, mining and cultural monuments

The Kremnica Mint has been in continuous operation since its foundation in 1328. Tourists can visit both the original and the new mint. The Andrej Adit in Kremnica offers a different approach to history, allowing visitors to experience the atmosphere of underground mining first-hand. Several cultural monuments provide their own distinctive highlights. The Meštiansky dom presents 138 painted shooting targets dating from 1837 to 1896. The 22-metre-high Trinity Column in Kremnica commemorates a plague epidemic. The town castle complex, Mestský hrad, is a national cultural monument. It includes buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries protected by a double fortification. The planetarium’s standard programme also includes astronomical observations. They are accompanied by expert explanations and take place only in favourable weather conditions.

Marked trails to castles and through the landscape

The Zelená Cesta educational trail begins in a park in Kremnica, heads towards Skalka and reaches its first stop at Vejmutovský porast. The trail is 8.9 km long, has eight stations and takes approximately four hours. You can choose between a long and a short circular route. For a shorter castle hike, Šášov Castle can be reached from the village of Šášovské Podhradie on green-marked hiking trails in approximately 15 minutes on foot. A yellow-marked trail leads from Sklené Teplice to the ruins of Teplica Castle. After a steeper ascent, it joins a green-marked trail leading to the castle. The hiking route is 4.7 km long, takes approximately two hours and has a moderate difficulty level. As a wider regional route, the Pohronská hradná cesta follows the Hron River from Hronský Beňadik to Zvolen. It therefore connects several historical points of interest along a river landscape without equating the individual trails around the castles.

Thermal water in Vyhne

Vodný raj Vyhne is a thermal bath in the Žiar nad Hronom District that is open all year round. It uses therapeutic thermal water with a high iron content and a temperature of up to 36.5 °C. Facilities include a swimming pool, a multi-purpose pool, a children’s pool, a relaxation pool and a water slide. In addition to natural and cultural experiences, this provides a clearly defined bathing and wellness option. For further location options, you can also visit Sklené Teplice, Horná Ves, Trnavá Hora, Bzenica, Stará Kremnička, Slaská, Nevoľné, Lúčky, Kunešov, Kremnické Bane, Kosorín, Kopernica, Jastrabá, Ihráč, Horná Ždaňa, Hliník Nad Hronom, Dolná Ždaňa, Dolná Ves, Bartošova Lehôtka, Vieska, Vyhne, Heiligenkreuz, Krahule, Kremnica and Hronská Dúbrava for your trip.

For the higher-level travel overview: Banská Bystrica.