Churches and other sacral buildings

Roman Catholic Church of Saint Virgin Mary’s Assumption built in years 1782-1792 after an extensive fire in the town dominates the architectonically interesting M. R. Štefánik Town Square. What is currently a parish church, was initially built as a single-nave building in the Baroque style. Later, a tower was constructed to complement the building. The original late Baroque furniture has been preserved in the interior. The brick column architecture of the main altar of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is part of the sanctuary. The lateral altars are dedicated to the Divine Heart and the Heart of Jesus. In the concha above the sanctuary you can admire the scene of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, an iconographic complement to the image of the main altar. On a vault of the nave there is a scene of the Annunciation, supplemented by the saints of the Old and the New Testaments as well as female figures from the Old Testament. Services are held daily in the church and it is considered one of the national cultural sights.

The Evangelical Church belongs to the first churches in Slovakia to be built after the issuance of a tolerance patent of Joseph II in 1781, which allowed the construction of Protestant churches beyond main streets, without a tower and a presbytery. The church was consecrated in 1787. Ján Chalupka made a significant contribution to its history. During his active participation the church was restored and enlarged after the fire, and an emporium, a pulpit and a new altar were added. The 100th anniversary of its consecration was significant for the church. A new three-manual organ with 42 registers was purchased on the occasion. 

In addition to two churches located on the Square of M.R Štefánik there is also a Piarist monastery with a chapel. This building was built in years 1694 - 1713. The two-wing three-storey building with monastery corridors is almost entirely underlined by basements. In its north-western part one can find the monastery chapel of the Virgin Mary. The rooms are mostly vaulted with barrel vaults with connecting lunettes. During the restoration of the chapel in 1906 a late Gothic wooden polychromic sculpture of the Virgin Mary was installed on the neo-Gothic altar. It comes from the parish church burned down by the Dócio family in 1517. Before the fire in 1779 it was part of the main altar of the burned-out church “Na Bráničke”. A part of this space was also a spacious garden.

In the case of the St. Cross chapel (“Sv. Kríža”/”Na Bráničke”) we are talking originally about a Roman Catholic church of the Blessed Virgin Mary built in years 1517 - 1519. It was the second church built in Brezno. It is interesting that the Piarists had a crypt bricked under its sanctuary in 1746, in which they buried members of the Piarist order. Above the entrance to the crypt was an inscription: "Either we are alive, or we are dying, the Lord we are." It is also worth noting that there is a classicist sculpture of Calvary from the beginning of the 19th century in the interior of the altar canteen.

The Jewish synagogue is the youngest sacral building located in the town. The history of this building is related to the year 1859, when 3 Jewish families managed to settle in Brezno. The formation and establishment of a Jewish community in the town dates back to that year. In 1863, a representative of their church choir, Móric Fried, acquired a plot of land for the burial of the dead. The Jewish Religious Organization was founded in 1870. The district originally consisted of 20 founding members.

The first God services were held in the Tesák’s House, ewhere one of the rooms was designated as a prayer room. Before 1900 the number of Church followers increased and premises of the prayer room were not sufficient. Therefore, on January 17, 1900, the General Assembly approved the sale of the old building and the construction of a new one. It is interesting that the location of the building respected several rules. One of the unwritten ones was that no other sacral building could be built near the Catholic building. That is why the synagogue is built quite far from other Christian monuments. From the vestibule of the synagogue, a staircase leads to the right and to the left towards the gallery – a gathering place for women, which is supported by 4 cast iron columns of the main nave. The ceiling of the main nave passes to the eastern side of a semi-circular niche - a space dedicated to a priest and the Torah. The building ceased to serve its original purpose after the deportation of Jews in 1942. Later it was used only as a storage. In 1972 it was listed in the Central List of Cultural Monuments. Currently, the building is undergoing a gradual renovation and organizes various exhibitions and events.

The historical building of the town hall, which was built in 1771 by rebuilding an older building, is located on the Square of M. R. Štefánik right next to the church. However, the year 1779 was unfortunate for the fate of the building. The town hall together with other buildings in Brezno caught fire. Nevertheless, it was reconstructed over the following year giving it its current form. The former town hall now hosts the Museum of Horehronie, where you can see a permanent exhibition showing life and culture of the people living in Horehronie. Another exposition in the Museum of Horehronie is dedicated to the history of the town and its surroundings. It is situated in the oldest preserved building of burgher architecture in Brezno - the house no. 13. Construction of the building dates back to the 16th century and it is also located in the square. The idea of ​​founding a museum in Brezno arose among the local intelligentsia as early as during the 1950s. The initiative, which was supported by secondary school teachers in the city, came largely from Ladislav Bartek. At present, the museum has a regional scope and, through its collections, provides visitors with a picture of the history and culture of the districts of Brezno and Banská Bystrica. In addition to a tour of the individual exhibits, the museum offers the opportunity to order a lesson addressing one of the 13 specific topics. Consulting and research services as well as the sale of promotional materials are also available.

Castles and ruins

Brezno Castle Walls: as Brezno became a free royal town from the middle of the 17th century, a ring of walls began to form around the regular square and adjacent streets leading to all cardinal points. As its sections closed by the city gates were gradually added, they defined and closed the historic core of the city, in which more than 30 national cultural sights have been preserved to this day.

Out of the original fortification consisting of 4 town gates, several bastions and a ring of the wall, only some sections have been preserved. They are the following: a part of the northern section along the southern edge of the school street leading towards the Evangelical Church and a part of the eastern section belonging to a built-up area on the Štúrova Street, a part of the south-eastern section and a part of the south-western section. Specifically, the south-eastern section near the former “Chobot” has been reconstructed at a reduced height and follows the original line of the fortifications. In the end, it can be said that only the torso of the original town fortifications from the 16th and 17th centuries have been preserved. A part of the reconstructed section of the walls is located on Hradby Street.

Secular architectural monuments on the Square of M. R. Štefánik

The Marian Column was built in 1741 at the expense of the burgher Juraj Machner, who was to be punished for publicly expressing a curse. Despite protests against the expensive offer, a new pedestal for the sculpture of the Virgin Mary was made in 1944. A complete reconstruction of the column took place in 1988, but today's sculpture of the Virgin Mary is only a copy of the original one. Nevertheless, it is a natural cultural sight.

The town ​​tower (nowadays called bell tower), a massive prismatic building with a mansard roof, can undoubtedly be considered as one of the dominants of the square. The building was built in 1830 in the Classicist style and restored in 1904. In the past, it served as a watchtower and contained a guard's apartment above the third floor of the bell tower, who used to announce the danger of fire by hitting the bell. The largest bell weighing 980 kg was cast by the descendants of bell-keeper P. Bohuš from Banská Štiavnica in 1780. 3 smaller bells - St. Vendelín, St. Florian and St. Michal – were added in 1924. In 1996 St. Michal was transferred to the newly built church of St. Ján don Bosco in the Mazorníkovo town district. 

The former town savings bank was originally a burgher's house, which disposed of basements vaulted by Renaissance barrel vaults originating from the second half of the 17th century. In 1910 the external façade of the building was decorated with Art Nouveau stucco ornaments of a geometric character persisting till this day. It is possible to see a figural relief with a central female figure symbolizing a thrift in the attic wall on the south-eastern corner. An evidence proving the symbolic is the fact that she holds a bundle of ears and a beehive in her hands. On the ground floor there was originally a bank hall accessible via the lobby. A representative three-branch staircase with a wrought-iron Art Nouveau railing leads to the first floor.

Monuments, memorials, commemorative plaques

The monument to Ján Chalupka is built on the site of the monument to Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria. Its origin is linked to the offer of the sculptor O. Čičátek, who decided to create a bust of Ján Chalupka. The town council accepted his offer and the monument was ceremoniously unveiled in celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Czechoslovak Republic. It is located on the Square of M. R. Štefánik.

The monument to General M. R. Štefánik, which is built directly in front of the former town hall, also plays an important role. The idea to build the monument originated in 1923, but its ceremonial unveiling took place on May 4 and 5, 1929, on the occasion of the anniversary of M. R. Štefánik's death. Unfortunately, it was necessary to dismantle the monument in 1952 due to the socio-political situation. It returned to its original place in 1990, after restoration work had been carried out.

During the liberation of Brezno fallen soldiers of the liberation armies were buried in front of the town hall building on the east side. At the request of the commander of the Soviet troops and based on the design suggested by M. Trepáč, a monument to the soldiers fallen in the WWII was unveiled on June 29, 1945. Later, the remains of soldiers were exhumed and transported to the joint cemetery of Soviet soldiers in Zvolen. The author of the new monument from 1965 is an academic sculptor J. Kubička.

A monument also related to military history is the monument to the fallen in the Slovak National Uprising, which is considered a national cultural sight. On each side of the pedestal are plates with the names of the fallen soldiers in the World War I and World War II, as well as the names of those murdered during World War II. It is also located on the Square of M. R. Štefánik.

Another monument located in the district of Brezno can be found near the Chalet of Štefánik below Chopok (“Štefánikova chata pod Ďumbierom”) is dedicated to the fallen in the Slovak National Uprising. It was made in memory of members of the partisan brigade Jánošík, whose members fell during the liberation fights on December 1, 1944.

An interesting place is located in the part called Krtičná, where an emergency airport served for reception of military material transported by air bridge from the Soviet Union during the Slovak National Uprising. Right here, on the main road to the town Tisovec, German soldiers shot 31 people in December 1944. During the first exhumation in the presence of German soldiers, it was forbidden to take photographs of the victims. Thus, only 6 people were identified. Today there is a monument to the murdered in the Slovak National Uprising.

In the locality of Padličkovo on the bank of the river Hron, a cast iron monument of Ernest Príhradný from the second half of the 19th century can be found. It is a natural cultural sight just like many other monuments in Brezno.

In case of interest, in addition to many architectural gems, several memorial plaques can be seen on the Square of M. R. Štefánik. These are:

• a commemorative plaque to the doctor and writer G. K. Zechenter-Laskomerský, which is hung on the facade of the burgher house no. 2. It is a monument to his work from the years 1855 - 1861;
• a commemorative plaque to the writer K. Kuzmány unveiled in 1926 is located on the rectory building in the monument zone;
• a commemorative plaque on the square is dedicated to 3 partisans murdered in the WWII during the Slovak National Uprising is located in the building of the Roman Catholic parish.

Technical monuments

The rare wooden folk mangle (machine), which origins date back to the first half of the 19th century, can be described as a technical monument. It is located in the typical Breznian craft and peasant house of the blueprint dyer on the Rázusova Street, house n. 20, and it is made accessible by the Museum of Horehronie located in Brezno. The mangle machine was a fabric treatment plant powered by horses using a simple wooden mechanical machine with a system of gears. Blueprint forms and ink production are part of the museum's collection.

Mines and tunnels

In recent years, numerous efforts have been made in the territory of Brezno to revive the mining tradition. The initiator is mainly the Civil Group “Horehronie mining road” (“Horehronská banská cesta”), which has accomplished several successful projects and is constantly preparing many more. One of them is a project called Educational Mining Trail, which aims to raise awareness about the protection of cultural and technical heritage in the town. The theme originated yet in 2014 and the trail primarily wants to cast the light on mining objects of special importance. The Educational Mining Trail is about 6 km long and leads along old mining works and ironworks in the town area. The final stage of an approximately 2-3 hours lasting journey, which consists of 12 stops, is a tour of the sights on the Square of M. R. Štefánik in the centre of Brezno. Naturally, the trail allows you to look into existing mines, see heaps or other remnants of mining, which took place in the area. You can find out more about visits of the mining sights at the Touristic Information Office (TIC) in Brezno or directly from the chairman of the Civil Group Horehronie mining road - Ľ. Longauer.

Caves

The “Halitská” salt cave in Brezno is unique due to its microclimate characterized by absolute bacterial purity. The salt present in the cave is a precondition for the air enriched with important minerals and trace elements. These have a positive effect on mental as well as physical health of children and adults. High concentration of salt contained in the cave helps with the treatment of respiratory, nervous, dermatological, metabolic, digestive and rheumatic problems. Those who are interested will complete a 45-minute relaxing stay in the cave on adjustable loungers. The advantage is a location right in the town.

Sources

You can walk along the numerous Breznian springs thanks to the 1.5 km long forest path called Oxygen Trail or Health Trail. It offers an opportunity to practice body coordination, function of senses and proper breathing. The forest Health Trail consisting of 9 stops is located in the area of ​​a suburban forest in the Lazná mine near the hospital. The author and the co-author of the project are P. Dzurmanová and M. Parobeková respectively.

The Health Trail aims to harmonize body and soul by combining movement and relaxation. Each individual stop provides a board teaching those interested more about correct movement and breathing exercises. Another advantage is that there are several sources of water on the route, such as the spring of Maria, Juraj and Helena, Martin’s spring, Jozef’s and Štefan‘s spring. A total of 30 wells were built and maintained during his lifetime by Štefan Libič, thanks to whom we know them today under the name “well of Uncle Libič”. Their location can be seen on the map.

Natural curiosities

Natural sanctuary “Breznianska Skalka” is a small forest reserve, which lies above the town of Brezno in the protection zone of the Low Tatras National Park at an altitude of approximately 680 - 875 m above sea level. Geologically, the area is built of a strip of lower Triassic quartzites. Various types of metamorphic rocks stand out along the border of the protected area. From a forestry point of view, most of the area belongs to the beech forest vegetation zone. The area has been declared a natural sanctuary in 1981 and its main purpose has been the protection of a phytogeographically and dendrologically important winter oak locality. The occurrence of winter oak is considered unique in this locality.

Natural sanctuary “Horné lazy” is located in the districts of Valaská and Brezno and has been a natural reserve since 1981. The area is represented by exposed steep rocky slopes. Nature of a shrubby forest is defined by the occurrence of several thermophilic plants and animal species. Some of these are on the edge of their geographical distribution.

For the sake of mountain alders protection of Horehronie valley Rohoznianska jelšina was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1986. The protected area lies on the left side of the road leading from Michalová to Brezno. The National Nature Reserve was awarded the 5th level of protection, because the site plays an important role for scientific research as well as for education and culture.