The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Slovakia:
Banská Bystrica
Locals will tell you that Banská Bystrica (BAN-skuh bis-TREE-tzuh) is at the geographic center of Europe. Whether or not this is true, Banská Bystrica, encircled by hills and mountains, is certainly at the heart of Slovakia. The town prospered during the Middle Ages as a mining center (banská means "mine") but is best known as the home of the Slovak National Uprising (alias SNP) against the Nazis in 1944. Today Banská Bystrica is filled with students and all the restaurants and bars that accompany university life.
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