Zvolen castle - Cerin Church of St. Martin - Hronsek

Route: Banska Bystrica - Zvolen castle - Cerin Church of St. Martin - Hronsek - Banska Bystrica
Duration: 5 h
Our first stop in this tour we will make at the medieval castle Zvolen which is currently the most extensive gallery in Slovakia. Its space offers visitors a large collection of old masters from the 13th to the 21th centuries. The halls of the ground and first floor are attractive exhibition spaces with a wealth of artistic types, themes and styles. Zvolen was the seat of Ugrian kings and its buildings are interwoven with history. There are two enormous royalty seats here – The Deserted castle and Zvolenský castle, in which the Slovak National Gallery has its seat. Not too far from the castle the combat train stands, that reminds us the history of the Slovak National Uprising. The oldest written reference to the settlement of Zvolen existing below the castle is from 1243. Importance of Zvolen grew after the fortified royal castle, which is now the Zvolen Castle, was built in its vicinity in the years 1370-1382. Trade and crafts thrived then too. In the second third of the 17th century, under the threat of the Ottoman attacks, the system of fortifications was built around Zvolen which determined the ground plan of the town including its unusually spacious rectangular square. Next we will visit to the Church of St. Martin was erected around 1315 on the initiative of a certain Paul of Krtíš. In the first quarter of the 14th century its the interior was decorated with colorful paintings, completed at the beginning of the 16th century by the insertion of a polychrome ceiling in the nave. In the 17th century, a wooden belfry was erected next to the church, and in the 18th century, a gallery was placed inside the nave. The church is one of the best-preserved early Gothic village churches with defensive features. Next we will make a stop at village of Hronsek is best known for its ancient wooden church. It is one of the five Lutheran churches in Slovakia - and the only house of prayer in the country, which has Scandinavian elements in its decor. The church in Hronsek,was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This wooden church was built in 1725 by the local Lutheran community. During its construction, the builders had to meet a number of requirements for construction, which were invented specifically for Protestants in the capital of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation - Vienna. All these conditions were met - and the local Protestant community received a church made of local species of wood - oak and larch - capable of accommodating at once a thousand people who gathered for common prayer. The interior of the church in Hronsek, on its unusual vaults and columns, has details, typical for different decorative styles: German, Slavic, Ionic and the already mentioned Scandinavian.  The main decoration of the inner space is the altar, which is the aga as the church: it is made in baroque style and is decorated with six images on biblical themes.  Together with the church, a bell ringer with three bells was built nearby. Before entering the church, you can see lemon trees - some of them were planted in the same year when the church was built. After we return to Banska Bystrica.
Price: per person