Banska Bystrica

Capital city :
Banska Bystrica

Region Area: 9 455 km2
Number of Population: 660 110
Population density: 69.81 persons per km2
Banská Bystrica Region has 13 districts, 516 municipalities /of which 24 are towns/

Address: Banskobystrický samosprávny kraj, Námestie SNP 23, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Tel.: 00421 48 43 25 111, Fax: 00421 48 43 25 515/509, www.vucbb.sk

Banská Bystrica Region is one of the largest self-governing regions in Slovakia. It is located in the southern part of NUTS II - Central Slovakia. As regards the qualities of the regional and natural environment, it belongs to the most important regions in Slovakia: the total of its natural protected area is the highest in Slovakia.

The Area of Tourism

What to do: Urban and cultural tourist monuments; Spa and health tourism; In the Summer Mountain Hiking and Cycling and Water Tourism; Winter tourism; Country tourism and agro tourism
The national parks: Low Tatras, Slovensky Raj, Muranska Planina and Velka Fatra,
The natural protected area: Stiavnicke Vrchy, Cerova Vrchovina and Polana (biospheric reservation under the UNESCO-Program “Man and Biosphere“).
Caves: Harmanecka Cave with its large underground space, Bystrianska Cave, the unique Death-Bat-Cave in the high-mountain karst of Dumbier and the Ochtin Aragonite Cave.

Industry and Business Conditions

Infrastructure
Railway transport has a very important role in the region. The main railway point is in Zvolen. Main routes: Bratislava - Zvolen - Košice - Čierna nad Tisou - Ukraine and Žilina - Zvolen - Lučenec - Hungary.
Airport: Airport Sliač - 15 km from Banska Bystrica and 200km from national airport in Bratislava.
Road transport The total length of roads is 3 159 km.

Industrial Production

Metallurgy, Engineering Industry, Wood-processing Industry, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Food-processing Industry, Paper Industry, Glass and Ceramic Industry, Textile Industry (Banská Bystrica, Zvolen, Žiar nad Hronom, Detva). The southern part (districts Veľký Krtíš, Lučenec, Rimavská Sobota, Krupina) is more agriculturally-focused

Planned Industrial Localities and Industrial Parks

Badín-Sielnica - suitable for the science-technological park.
Majer-Šalková - suitable for the science-technological park, mainly for IT and electro-technical industry
Poltár-Jelšoviny - suitable for development of glass industry and for electro technical industry.
Brezno-Rohozná - for any type of light and hard industry (long-term tradition in mechanical engineering).
Tomášovce - suitable for the industrial park.

Region priorities for the period up to 2013

Support of the development poles of the region Banská Bystrica – Zvolen and Lučenec - Rimavská Sobota
Connection of the region to the European communication network, increase of transport and communication availability
Increase of competitiveness of entrepreneurs environment in the sense of innovation development within the region
Complex sustainable development of rural areas
Development of cross border and international cooperation
Development of human capital and Healthy environment

Information Centres of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region
Culture and info centrum SNP 14, 974 01 Banská Bystrica tel.: 048/161 86, 415 50 85 Fax: 048/ 415 22 72 kis@pkobb.sk www.kisbb.sk	Info Donovaly, s.r.o. Nám.sv. Antona Paduánského 136 976 39 Donovaly Tel.: 048/ 419 99 00, Fax: 048/ 419 99 09 info@infodonovaly.sk www.parksnow.sk/donovaly/infodonovaly
Town Tourist Info Office Nám. Sv. Trojice 3, 969 01 Banská Štiavnica Tel./fax: 045/ 694 9653 tikbs@banskastiavnica.sk www.banskastiavnica.sk	Tourist-Info Centrum Rimavská Sobota Hlavné Námestie 2, 979 01 Rimavská Sobota, Tel./ fax.: 047/562 3645, tic@rimavskasobota.sk www.rimavskasobota.sk