Banská Bystrica

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Banská Bystrica (bän´skä bĬs´trĬtsä´), city (1991 pop. 85,030), central Slovakia, at the junction of the Bystrica and Hron rivers. It is an industrial center that produces textiles, paper, metal products, and cement. An ancient town, Banská Bystrica became well known in the Middle Ages for its surrounding mines. The city was the heart of the Slovak national uprising against German occupation in 1944.