700 years and counting – the mint in Kremnica

Author

Martin Talač

Published
12.04.2017

The 2nd oldest company in the Central and East Europe is located in a small medieval Slovak town – Kremnica. The company is a mint and it´s been operating for nearly 700 years now. It was established in the year 1328 and since then it´s been producing coins not only for Slovakia. In the past, it was producing florins, tolars, slovak coins, but now it´s producing coins for Costa Rica or Sri Lanka. In the building of the mint, a museum of coins was established, where you can learn all about the history of minting.

It was not a coincidence, that the mint and the town were established right there. Vast deposits of gold and silver were discovered in the surroundings of the town. The deposit of gold was the largest of the medieval period in Europe. When the information about its discovery first arrived to Italy, the price of gold decreased, because of the future greater supply than demand.

The most beautiful part of the town is the Main Square and the Town Castle built above the square. Indeed, all those nice buildings were built because of the fortune coming out of the mines. The most impressive feature of the square is the Holy Trinity column, commemorating the end of the plague epidemic.

The main square of the town and the castle in upper right corner

Two interesting events are held in Kremnica. One in summer and other one in winter. At the end of August you can visit the Gags of Kremnica (Kremnicke gagy) – the festival of humour and satire. In February you can visit the Big Air contest – freestyle snowboard and freeski show right at the main square.

Fortification walls and the main gate, which leads to the square
Colourful houses
The old mint
The Holy Trinity column
The castle
Middle of Europe in Krahule, near Kremnicke Bane

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