The history of Banská Bystrica is rich and colourful. As early as 1255, following a Tatar invasion when the King Belo IV invited colonists to come and inhabit the territory, Banská Bystrica was declared a free town with extensive privileges. The contemporary habitants received valuable liberties – the right to mine precious metals over the territory of the then Zvolen District, as well as the right to elect a mayor and parish priest. In 1380, Banská Bystrica joined other mining towns of the area to form a union. Banská Bystrica remained the leader of this union until the end of the...