Žiar nad Hronom is a city in Tekov on the Hron river, around 40 km from Banská Bystrica and 170 km from Bratislava.

Understand

While it used to be named Holy Cross, the new name from 1955 refers to the local metallurgy and aluminum manufacturing (literally glare upon Hron). The small city's population was around 17,000 in 2021.

Get in

By bus

• 1 Central bus station. 

By train

The Nové Zámky – Zvolen railway passes through the city with service from Bratislava and Košice.

By car

The city is intersected by the R1 Expressway, with an exit near Šášovské Podhradie. Road I/9 connects from Prievidza. R2 serves for transit purposes, bypassing the city, connecting on to I/9 and R1. Road I/65 passes through Horné Opatovce and the neighbouring village of Ladomerská Vieska.

See

• 1 Šášov castle ruins. A ruin of gothic castle, dated first half of the 13th century, guarding the Hron gorge.  
• 2 Observatory of Maximilian Hell (Krajská hvezdáreň a planetárium Maximiliána Hella v Žiari nad Hronom). 10m diameter fully-digital 4k planetarium. The other part is a mirror telescope with 202mm mirror and 2200mm focal length.  
• 3 Landfill. This 3-km-wide and 43-m-high "mountain" used to be a large red landfill, created by leftovers from the processing of bauxite. It has been largely revitalized into a quite inconspicuous green hill. 
• 4 Roman Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Rímskokatolícky kostol Povýšenia svätého Kríža). A single-nave, classical church with two towers and a rectangular presbytery. The facade is dominated by a portico of Toscan pillars, topped by a triangular tympanum, bearing Bishop Zerdahely's coat of arms. The segmented attic is decorated by a Latin inscription reading: "Fugite partes adversae" ("Begone, all evil powers!", as written in the prayer of exorcism by St. Anthony of Padua). The towers are lined with pilasters and topped with a crowning ledge. A crypt below the church contains the remains of Štefan Moyses and Michal Chrástek.  
• 5 Roman Catholic Church of St. Lawrence (Kostol sv. Vavrinca) (In Horné Opatovce). The historically gothic structure with polygonal presbytery and an ejected tower was reconstructed between 1710 and 1711, 1777 and finally in 1911, which added some Neo-Roman elements. Facade is decorated by frieze, supportive pillars and chambranles. The tower is topped by a pyramid helmet.  

Do

• 1 Sklené Teplice thermal spa, 966 03 Sklené Teplice. 
• 2 Kapitulské bralá. Natural monument. This rare geological phenomenon shows imperfect fluidity of rhyolite lavas. Accessible by road 2498. (updated Dec 2023)
• Žiar Fair (Žiarsky jarmok). An annual event hosted in October. It is a continuation of a historic tradition of trading fairs hosted by towns and cities across the country, where craftsman, artisans and other smiths met and traded their works. It is popular for its entertainment, rides, musical performances, traditional food or game stalls. In 2023, it attracted roughly 20,000 visitors from the city and the neighbouring regions, 350 seller stalls and 80 food and beverage sellers. (updated Dec 2023)