Masaryk Spring In Štiavnica Hills

According to accessible information, there are known, in the territory of Czech Republic, two springs, connected with the name of the first President of Czechoslovakia. One of them is to be found not far from the community Zastávka u Brna, the second one in the environs of the town of Hořice v Podkrkonoší. But, as far as Masaryk´s spring in Slovakia, a notice is appearing, without detailed specification, from time to time.

When Thomas Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), just as 73 years old man, travelled through Central Slovakia in 1923, he had a stop in Banská Štiavnica. The hosts prepared for him a short relax stop with refreshment, in the green close to Jasenica torrent at small forest spring. So, as a memory of this event, local inhabitants placed  a stone plate at the well, in order to remind such rare visit.

Anyway, the years passed, and the spring was forgotten subsequently. And similarly, the personality of the first Czechoslovak President would be forgotten, too. So, this source would be unnecessarily looked for in each tourist map after the 2nd World War. Anyway, it is big merit of Mrs. Eva Bachratá, Prague artist, living in Bratislava. Mrs. Bachratá and her husband know Štiavnica Hills very well. They started to search for old maps, and asked also local inhabitants, if and where the spring could be found at all. Finally, one forester brought them up to the spring, where even the rests of original memory plate were managed to be found. Forest administration in Banská Belá made repair works of the well at the beginning of autumn 2006, and on 7th October 2006, solemny opened for public, in cooperation with local community leaders, and at presence of the representant of Czech Embassy in Bratislava (see enclosed pictures made on the same day).

Nevertheless, it is not easy to find Masaryk´s spring in forests of Štiavnica Hills, below Biely Kamen Peak (608 metres above sea level). The access is possible from valley road, in distance of four kilometres, after the community of Banská Belá, in direction towards Kozelník. Here, you need to turn to the right, on suitable place, and follow a path through a forest via Jasenica brook, and below railway line upstairs, following a torrent upstairs to its bridging. You cross to left slope and mount up to the plateau, crossing along pavement (path) across upwards, following small plateau, around fattened hog, you reach high leafy woods. Just in the first ravine, you descend a way, expressively burrowed, as a consequence of wood´s pulling down, towards a place, where new stone well-panelling could be seen.

The second, but more difficult, possibility is, to start the mounting from railway stop Banská Belá (or from Banská Štiavnica), following yellow marked tourist trail in direction towards Dubinky col, or you can continue your walking, following blue marked tourist trail up to the community of Dolinka, and descend from this marked route to railway line. However, the well is not described in actual maps, so its discovering could be a work of fortune and a chance. 

Text/photo: Jiří Výborný

Translation. ing. Jan Jonáš