Banská Štiavnica is the cradle of Hungarian higher education of mining and one of the world’s first institution of the sort. The Mining School (Bergschule) was founded in 1735 by the Hofkammer in Vienna, and it became the Academy of Mining (Bergakademie) in 1763 with support from Queen Maria Theresa. Due to the stormy history, the institution moved to Sopron in 1919, and then part of it (mining and metallurgical engineering training) moved to Miskolc in 1949. Banská Štiavnica lived its heyday between the 15th and 18th centuries thanks to its silver and gold mines. About 120 ore deposits are known in the 92 km2 area. More than 200 different minerals have been identified from here so far.
In the picture: Dolomite, Banská Štiavnica (Slovakia). Size: 15 cm. Photo by Géza Kulcsár.