My Hometown: Banská Bystrica

I come from Banská Bystrica, a town that might be considered small by European standards but holds a rich and diverse history.

The main reason for its importance was copper. Banská Bystrica became the production and administrative centre of the Thurzo–Fugger company, which was the largest copper enterprise in the world in its time.

Once known as Neusohl in German, it was a place where languages and cultures intertwined. In the Middle Ages, the town was primarily German-speaking, gradually evolving into a bilingual German-Slovak community, and later a trilingual one, incorporating Hungarian as well. This multicultural heritage is captured perfectly by Matthias Bel, one of the city’s most influential historical figures, who described himself as "lingua Slavus, natione Hungarus, eruditione Germanus"—Slavic by language, Hungarian by nation, and German by education.

Today, Slovak is the predominant language spoken by the local population, yet the spirit of Central Europe’s past still lingers in the air. Walking through the city centre, you will hear not just Slovak, German, and Hungarian, but also Spanish, French, and other languages, reflecting a broader European identity. Many of the city’s high schools offer bilingual programs in German, French, English, and Spanish, with native speakers teaching these languages. Both my sister and I attended a Spanish-Slovak bilingual school, and being multilingual feels completely natural to me, as it does for many of the young people in our town.

If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop me a message at mail@richardgolian.com.