Lovinobaňa: Church, Mining and Culture

If you are interested in local history and culture, Lovinobaňa offers several specific topics: the Evangelical church, traces of mining and a memorial plaque. There are also events, traditional foods and activities at the nearby Ružiná Reservoir.

Church and historic furnishings

The Evangelical church in Lovinobaňa was built in 1863 in the late Classicist style on the site of an originally Gothic church. This means that a 19th-century building and an older sacred origin share the same location. The late Classicist style belongs to the church built in 1863; the Gothic church was its predecessor.

The furnishings can also be dated. The altar features a painting of Christ on the Sea, dating from 1860 and by Peter Michal Bohúň. The Rieger organ was made in Budapest in 1907 and is still in the church today. The painting was therefore created three years before the church was built, and the organ 44 years later. The building and its furnishings thus belong to different periods of creation.

Mining history and places of remembrance

From 1247 to 1250, mining mainly involved silver. Iron ore was also mined in the Lovinobaňa area in the Middle Ages; by the 17th century, two hammer mills were operating there. The Losonczy family showed an interest in mining from the early 14th century and opened new mine workings in Lovinobaňa during the 14th century. The historical mining themes therefore range from 13th-century silver and new mine workings to the long-running hammer mills.

The 1667 seal of Lovinobaňa depicts mining tools and is considered an unusual example of Slovak sphragistics, or the study of seals. A different form of remembrance is the memorial plaque unveiled in Lovinobaňa in 1946. It commemorates the founding of the Revolutionary National Committee and the District Revolutionary National Committee and is listed as a national cultural monument.

Events and traditional foods

Lovinobaňa’s cultural programme includes the events “Deň obce” and “Dolovanie tradícií.” If you would like to plan your trip around one of them, check the current dates before making your plans.

Traditional foods include Koláče–zavináče, Podplameník and Čír soup. Monika Albertiová – Podplameník makes these foods. Čír soup was eaten mainly in Lovinobaňa, Mýtna and the neighbouring villages. Sales are made directly by the producer and by prior arrangement.

Activities at the Ružiná Reservoir

The Ružiná Reservoir is near Lovinobaňa. There are opportunities for swimming at beaches, water sports and fishing. If you take these activities into account when choosing a destination, the reservoir offers a different focus from the church and the town’s historic places of remembrance.

There are two separate authorities for fishing: the municipality of Lovinobaňa issues fishing licences; permission to fish is granted by the holder of fishing rights in the relevant fishing district. This lets you distinguish between the local authority and the authority responsible for each fishing district.

Discover more destinations: Točnica, Tomášovce, Divín, Šávoľ, Kotmanová, Ratka, Lupoč, Veľká Nad Ipľom.

For the overview of the wider region: Lučenec District.