Ľubietová

Ľubietová (German: Libethen) is a village in central Slovakia. Originally an ancient mining town, it is known for precious minerals.

Geography

Ľubietová is part of the Banská Bystrica District in the Banská Bystrica Region. It is situated 25 km east from the town of Banská Bystrica. It lies at an altitude of 491 metres and covers an area of 61 km². The geographic center of Slovakia, the Hrb mountain, is located near the village.

History

Thanks to abundant deposits of copper and less rich deposits of iron ore, Ľubietová became soon an important center of medieval mining industry. It was granted the status of a royal town in 1379 by Louis the Great and German miners settled here. As one of the most important centers of Protestant Reformation in the country, the town created the Protestant "League of Seven Mining Towns" together with Banská Belá, Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica, Kremnica, Nová Baňa, and Pukanec. In 1692, the first modern blast furnace in the Kingdom of Hungary was built in Ľubietová. Due to the decline of the mining industry in the 18th century, the settlement lost its urban character and became a village.