Smolník - Pamätník poslednej vyťaženej rudy
Welcome to Smolník, once an exceptional royal town. It gained its prestigious status thanks to underground wealth, and its mining era lasted more than seven centuries. The former glory of the town faded as its underground resources were exhausted, and this royal town—once enjoying numerous privileges and personal attention from kings and emperors—closed a major chapter of its history. This legacy is symbolized forever by the last ton of extracted ore.
The almost forgotten mining village of Smolník lies in the southern part of the Spiš region, in the central area of the Spiš-Gemer Ore Mountains, in a valley.
It is hard to believe that in 1780 more than 10,000 inhabitants lived here—by comparison, Bratislava had about 29,000 at the time. The local mining enterprise was among the most profitable in the Kingdom of Hungary. Because of this, Smolník was always in the center of interest of rulers as well as rebellious groups. Silver and copper ores were mined in the surrounding area. In the 13th and 14th centuries, copper ore with a high silver content was mainly processed here. In 1528, about 200 kilograms of silver and 70 tons of copper were produced in Smolník.
In the 14th century, Smolník became the seat of the Mining Chamber. The foundation of its rich mining development was a deposit of pyrite–copper ores containing silver and gold. Later, mining shifted mainly to pyrite extraction. The Smolník deposit is the only one in Slovakia where mine water was used for almost 735 years in the production of cementation copper. At the end of the 18th century, it was the largest town in Spiš and even rivaled Banská Štiavnica in importance.
Since 1698, the Main Mining Inspectorate was located here, and from 1700 also the Main Mining Court. Mining in Smolník ended in 1989. Even long before that, it was already destined to decline—only low-value pyrite and unprofitable copper ore were extracted.
A part of the last mined ore is displayed in a mining cart. It is a symbolic reminder—there is no commemorative plaque; instead, the mining cart with the last ore and a jackhammer embedded in stone serve as powerful symbols of the town’s former glory.
There is still much to admire in Smolník. One of the attractions is the St. Mary Theresa adit (Štôlňa Mária Terézia)—an underground passage reinforced with preserved mining timbering, still passable today. The Terezian shaft has a length of 1,986 meters.
In the cadastral area of Smolník, there is also the Úhorná water reservoir, which at first glance resembles a romantic mountain lake. The most impressive historical building on the central square is the former mining inspectorate, later known as a tobacco factory. One of Smolník’s national cultural monuments is the Evangelical Church, dating from 1787. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Snow with a healing water spring is located below Mount Hekerová.
