Banska Bystrica is the cultural and economic centre of central Slovakia and is home to a number of important institutions. Banská Bystrica was a member of the exclusive trio of rich central Slovakian mining towns, alongside Banska Stiavnica and Kremnica. The main source of income in the medieval town was mining, as the surrounding was rich in ores. The town also became known as ‘copper Bystrica’, and was a European mining metropolis, with copper processing and trading having begun in 1495.
The buildings in the historic centre belong to the Town Monument Reserve. The pride of Banska Bystrica is its central SNP Square which has been rebuilt into a throbbing pedestrian zone, but retains its original charm and atmosphere. The multicolored area of the square can be best admired from the slender Clock Tower, which was built in 1552 as a part of the town prison. The most beautiful building located on the southern row of the square is Thurzos House. Today it is the seat of the Museum of Middle Slovakia.
Several ancient buildings on the Stefan Moyzes Square once formed part of the town castle. Its task was to protect the income generated by copper and silver mining for the royal treasury. The original appearance of the castle disappeared by removal of a substantial part of the town walls. Only a quarter of the original town walls and three bastions of the original four have survived. The castle's surrounding area includes a parish church from 13th century, fortifications from the 15th century, the Church of the Holy Cross, Slovak Church, which was built in 1452, as well as a barbican with a tower. It used to be the entry gate to the castle. The castle also features Matej's House, which was built in the 15th century in the late Gothic style, and the Old Town Hall, the Praetorium, which was originally designed in the Gothic style, but was later reshaped into a Renaissance building.