Harmanec

Harmanec was declared an independent municipality in 1957. Until then it was administratively attached to the administration of the municipality of Dolný Harmanec. Harmanec is located where the Kremnické vrchy and Veľká Fatra mountains meet at an altitude of 486 metres above sea level. The surface of the area is mountainous and the village is surrounded on all four sides by coniferous and mixed forests. In the upper part of the Harmanecká valley there is the Harmanecká Tisina National Nature Reserve, which belongs to the Veľká Fatra National Park and mainly protects the yew forest. The Bystrica stream flows through Harmanec, where you can find many trout. The Harmanecká valley, which today includes the municipalities of Harmanec, Dolný Harmanec and Horný Harmanec, was already the seat of mining activities in the Middle Ages. From 1494, the miners of Banská Bystrica owned a copper roasting smelter in the Harmanecká valley, and later the Thurz-Fugger Copper Company built a new smelter, which it owned until 1546. After that the smelter belonged to the state and until the end of the 18th century it was used by the town of Banská Bystrica to process copper ore from the town mines in Richtarová and Piesky. The establishment of Harmanec was also conditioned by the location of the paper manufactory. Its beginnings date back to the 18th century and paper production continues here to this day. The paper mill was originally built by František Zikmund Leicht, a merchant from Banská Bystrica, as a factory for the manual production of paper. In the middle of the 19th century it was one of the most modern paper mills in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its logo is still the white swan - a symbol of tradition and purity as well as a strong and stable company. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of paper are produced here annually. Harmanec is situated on an important road and rail route connecting the towns of Martin and Banská Bystrica. The single-track line from Banská Bystrica to Vrútok is known for the largest concentration of tunnels in Slovakia - there are up to 22 of them! On this line there is also the longest railway tunnel called Čremošné, which is almost 5 kilometres long. In Horní Harmanec there is the Harmanecká Cave with an exceptionally rich white soft sinter and many hibernating bats. In its underground spaces there are domes, waterfalls, curtains and ponds. Above Dolný Harmanec in the Rakytovo valley there is a restored and functional water trough for floating wood. It is 2450 metres long and is a national cultural monument. It is unique in Slovakia and Europe. It was built in the 19th century. Timber was floated down it from inaccessible forest terrain into the valley, especially in spring when there was enough water.