Coat of arms of Banská Bystrica

Banská Bystrica (Slovak: Banská Bystrica, German: Neusohl, Latin: Neosolium) is a city in Slovakia, the seat of the Banská Bystrica District and District. It is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Banská Bystrica.

Coat of arms description

Shield seven-barred with silver and red.

An old surviving seal impression of the city dates from the mid-15th century, which can be considered a variant of the royal coat of arms. The seal impression shows a seven-barred shield, which apparently corresponds to the state coat of arms of the House of Árpád, which was also seven-barred. However, on the seal of Banská Bystrica, the prominent (and therefore brighter) silver bands are the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th, while on the royal seals the same bands are the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th. The coloring of the coat of arms of the Árpáds is therefore in reverse order. Novák considered this to be the oldest coat of arms of the city, and therefore defined it as the standard coat of arms of the city.

Location of Banská Bystrica

The former mining town is now the center of Central Slovakia, located in the first major bend of the Garam River.

Origin of its name

It got its name from the Biszterce stream, at the mouth of which it was built in Garam. The name of the stream itself can be derived from the Slavic hydronym “bystrica” (= fast-flowing stream). The suffix of its name is related to its ore mines.

History

Already the Quad tribes mined ore here in the mountains, and after the conquest, its small mining settlement was part of the Zvolen castle. The city was founded by Germans in the 12th century. It is first mentioned in 1255 under the name “Byzterchebana”, when King Charles IV. Béla raised it to city status and settled the settlement, which had been destroyed during the Tatar invasion, with Thuringian Saxons.

One of the most significant mining towns. Its first fortifications were built around the Gothic parish church in the 14th century, the city walls were built in the 15th century and then strengthened in the 16th century. In 1620, Gábor Bethlen also held a national assembly here, which elected him king. In 1678 and 1680, it was occupied by the army of Imre Thököly, and in the autumn of 1703 by Rákóczikurucai. During the War of Independence, it was an important military-industrial center, but was only recaptured by the imperial forces on October 25, 1708. Its fortifications were then gradually demolished, only the Mészáros Bastion and the city tower remained. In 1761, a great fire destroyed the city and its defenses. Its bishopric was founded by Maria Theresa.

Original image source:
Internet

Text source: Wikipedia