Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica (German: Neusohl, Hungarian: Besztercebánya, Latin: Villa Nova), is a large town in central Slovakia, on the Hron river.

 History 
It was first mentioned in 1255 as a royal free mining town. The town had rich ore deposits, mainly copper, and to a lesser extent silver, gold and iron. As the deposits were depleted, the town has reoriented to the industry. During the World War II, the Slovak National Uprising broke out in the town.

 Population 

 Ethnic composition 

 Religion 

 Sister cities 
  - Durham, England
  - Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
  - Salgótarján, Hungary
  - Tula, Russia
  - Herzliya, Israel
  - Larissa, Greece
  - Montana, Bulgaria
  - Tarnobrzeg, Poland
  - Zadar, Croatia
  - Ascoli Piceno, Italy
  - Halberstadt, Germany
  - Dabas, Hungary
  - Budva, Montenegro
  - Radom, Poland
  - Kovačica, Serbia
  - Vršac, Serbia

References

 Other websites 
 Official site

Banska Bystrica
Category:Banská Bystrica Region