The route description Kremnica - Sklené Teplice
| Lenght | Climb | Descent | Max inclination+ | Max inclination- | Highest point | Lowest poimt bod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 km | 1088 m | -1294 m | 35,2 % | -41,0 % | 660 m | 249 m |
The trail runs from Kremnica towards the village of Lúčky. About 100 meters after the last houses, turn left towards Penzión Stefanshof (a bed & breakfast). Your journey continues southward to the Horná Ves village via the so-called “Galandov majer”. From Horná Ves, continue along the trail with blue markers to the point named “Pod Kopernicou” (48 ° 39′ 40.40 “S, 18 ° 53′ 23.20” E). From that point, BC follows the yellow marked local route leading to Bartošova Lehôtka. From this village, you can travel by bus (or even on foot) to another village called Stará Kremnička. Continuing south through the Skalka rock field, and head towards the Hron river.
Passing under the highway junction, follow the local road to the village called Šášovské Podhradie. From there, BC follows a tourist footpath with green markers that leads directly to Šášov Castle. From the castle return to the asphalt road that leads to the village. Pass through the village until you reach the valley of the Istebný brook. The BC route follows the blue markers to forester’s chalet, where you turn right onto the forest path. Get off at the “Konice” settlement. At the cross (48° 32′ 43.9 “S; 18° 53′ 48” E), next to a linden tree, there is a bench where you can rest. Going south from “Konice” (after the yellow tourist sign),
WARNING:
In the guidebook, at that stage of the Barborská trail, the description follows the marked, local tourist trails which connect Slobodné [lake] - Dolná Klapa [rock field] - Čierťažík – [Mt.] Dubník - Kotlište to the village of Stará Kremnička. Since bentonite mining and logging operations are currently taking place in these localities, we have diverted the original Barbora trail to Bartošová Lehôtka and, from there, to the village of Stará Kremnička, as indicated above.
From Kremnica, the bike path follows Barbara‘s hiking trail. It goes around “Pension Stefanshof” and continues through “Galandov Majer” to the „Horná Ves“ village. At the end of that village, the bike path connects with state road 65. Cross the village of Stará Kremnička. At the end of that village, continue on state road 65, over the R1 expressway, up to the crossroad where you turn left towards Šášovské Podhradie. In Šašovské Podhradie, the bike path meets Barbara‘s hiking trail that leads to Sklené Teplice.
Stops on the route
Šášov castle
The ruins of the medieval Šášov castle stand on a rock promontory, on the left bank of the Hron River. The castle was probably built in 1242 – 1252 by the Vincent and Peter brothers of Štefan Vančo, the archbishop of Esztergom. The first castellans were Imrich Bečej and Ján, sons of Mining Chamber Count Saas of Banská Štiavnica. During its existence, the castle was rebuilt several times. The last substantial alterations were made by the Dóczy, a noble family who had owned it since 1490 until that family became extinct in 1647. Like all medieval castles, the Šášov castle did not avoid the anti-Habsburg uprisings. In 1678, it was seized by the rebel troops of Imrich Tököly. Later, the rebel army of Francis II Rakoczy settled in the castle but was then expelled in 1708 by the imperial army headed by General Sigbert Heister. The castle was destroyed and has since decayed. The known Matejov route connecting important mining towns ran at the foot of the castle. In one direction, it was used to transport silver and gold to Kremnica, and in the other, to ship stamped coins to Vienna. Opposite the castle a fortress (bastion) from the first half of the 15th century stands out. Today that fortress is in ruins. Local folks call it Zábaštie. Below the castle is a district of Žiar nad Hronom called Šášovské Podhradie. It was first mentioned in 1363 as “Villa sub castro Saaskew“ (settlement below the Šášov castle). There is a small museum, in a brick house, where the road leading to the castle begins. Its collections document both the material and spiritual cultures of the Šášovské Podhradie and Ladomerská Vieska villages. That exhibition is supplemented by archeological finds from the Šášov castle.
Sklené Teplice
Sklené Teplice is first mentioned in writing in 1340. It arose as a lumberjack settlement whose residents exploited timber for the nearby Banská Štiavnica mines. Around 1350, the first glass factory of Hungary was established there. It produced chemical glassware used by metalworkers in determining the grades of the gold and silver ores extracted in the Štiavnica mining district. After the demise of the glass factory (in the 17th century), a smelter was established in its place. It was used to separate gold and silver from unused ores using lead. It continued operating until the 1790’s and then disappeared.
Sklené Teplice was brought to people’s attention as a spa town in the 16th century. Its renowned spa attracted many adepts and travelers such as the English traveler Edward Brown, the German mineralogist and botanist Brückmann, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, and also the Slovak scholar Matej Bel. The cave pool and its local alkaline gypsum mineral spring are unique in Europe. Thermal waters flow directly into the cave pool at a temperature of 42°C (108°F). The hot cave pool is called “parenica“. Hot springs in the past have been used by smelting furnaces concentrating Štiavnica’s silver. Now they are mainly used to treat diseases of the locomotor and nervous systems. In Sklené Teplice in 1786, Ignaz Anton von Born, one of the leading Age of Enlightenment scientists, launched into service an amalgamation smelter. Subsequently, he organized a congress that attracted many important, world scientists, and where he presented his method called “Born indirect amalgamation”, the chemical process by which mercury binds to particles of precious metals. That same year, the first international congress of naturalists in the world took place in Sklené Teplice. The first international scientific society in the world was also established there. It then published the first international scientific journal in the world. The management of the society was initially in Sklené Teplice but later moved to Zellerfeld in Germany.
Accommodation on the route
Click on the “larger map” in the top left corner to see a more detailed overview of the accommodation
Click on the “larger map” in the top left corner to see a more detailed overview of the accommodation
We recommend the following accommodation and catering establishments.