Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica is a city of 78,000 inhabitants in central Slovakia, situated on the Hron river at the foot of the Low Tatras. The city center holds one of the largest preserved Renaissance squares in this part of Europe — full of facades spanning five centuries, with a circular defensive tower from the 15th century and a Neptune fountain from the 18th. The city is also known as the symbolic heart of the Slovak National Uprising of 1944, and the SNP Museum, with its distinctive concrete architecture from 1969, is one of the most detailed anti-fascist memorial complexes in the region. From Banská Bystrica, the Donovaly ski resort and the caves of the Demänovská Valley can be reached in under an hour, making the city an excellent base for excursions into the Low Tatras.