Sklené Teplice – history

Sklené Teplice is situated in the beautiful valley and at the foot of Štiavnica hills, 12 km from Banská Štiavnica. The first written reference arises from year 1340. Sklené Teplice was established as a timber village and the residents dogged for a timber for mines in the nearby Banská Štiavnica. The first glass factory in upper Hungary was established here in 1350. It produced chemical glass, which steelmakers used for identifying the content of gold and silver in the minerals mined in the area of Banská Štiavnica.

After perish of glasswork in Sklené Teplice a smelt house was established, where the gold and silver were separated from non-used ore using the lead. When Emperor Francis of Lorraine, husband of Maria Theresa visited Banská Štiavnica in 1751, he visited also the smelt house Sklené Teplice. The amalgamating smelter started to be established in these facilities in 1785, which was supposed to produce the gold and silver from gold-bearing ore using mercury. Ignatius Born, author of indirect amalgamation, was supposed to introduce his method to many experts of the world in 1786. The first international congress of scientists in the world with participation of many scientists in Sklené Teplice took place in the same year, the first international scientist’s community in the world was established here and this community was publishing the first international scientific journal in the world.

Smelt house gradually perished in the nineties of the 18th century, the buildings were sold to the bath and to the private parties, the furniture has been divided between other smelt houses in the surrounding area. This way the industrial production in Sklené Teplice perished and the village started to focuses on spa industry and agriculture.

Source: www.sklene-teplice.sk