It’s the end of January and it’s still cold, so I decided to brighten up this cloudy and cold day with a trip to Kremnica. We’ve passed through it many times, but we’ve never been here before. We came mainly to see the Kremnica Castle, but as a bonus, we got entry to the Museum of Coins and Medals with our ticket.
The Kremnica Castle is a complex of buildings from the 14th-15th centuries, protected by a double fortification, which is joined by some of the best-preserved city walls in Slovakia. In the center of the complex stands the dominant Gothic Church of St. Catherine.
The castle also includes other buildings such as a rectory, an entrance gate with a barbican, and defensive bastions. The construction was undertaken by the townspeople exclusively for the needs of the administration and defense of their town, and they were its sole owners.
A tower was loosely attached to the church in the 15th century. For centuries, it housed guards and announced danger.
The guards’ room currently functions as an exhibition and offers the most beautiful view of the city skyline and surrounding hills. Visitors can reach it by climbing 127 winding stone steps.
From the castle we went to the Museum of Coins and Medals, which has 4 floors. Each floor has a different exhibition: the history of money in Slovakia, the history of the city of Kremnica, Kremnica mining and metallurgy, and a section dedicated to medals.
We liked the lowest floor about mining the most, there were various minerals, gold and machines used to mine and process ores on display. There is also a small gallery.
