Banská Belá is a village and municipality in the Banská Štiavnica District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. It has a population of 1,234.

Names and etymology

The settlement got its name after the creek Biela (1228 torrens Bela, now Starý potok), in Slovak "white". The village founded on the creek was named Bana (a mine), later Biela Bana to distinguish between Banská Belá and Banská Štiavnica which was called also Bana. The Hungarian name Feyerbanya and its variations are translations of the Slovak name. The origin of the German name Dill is uncertain. The first written mention is probably terra nomine bela (1288), older sources mention also an unreliable record terra banensium (1156).

History

The village arose by separation from Banská Štiavnica, but it was part of Banská Štiavnica again from 1873 to 1954. King Béla IV invited German miners from Banská Štiavnica and the village got the German name Dilln (Dyln, Dilln, Dylen). The village suffered from Turkish raids during the Ottoman wars.

Genealogical resources

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive in Banská Bystrica.