Lost Supervolcano Stiavnica

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married
on 20th November 1947. According to some sources,
the beautiful 15ft long bridal train of the wedding
dress was also embroidered by the ten best
lace makers from the picturesque village at the foot
of the Supervolcano, using traditional techniques.

It took the whole year to make it. In 2007, during the royal
couple’s diamond wedding celebrations, this bridal train
– together with wedding dress, photographs, robes and
wedding gifts – was put on public display at an exhibition
in the Buckingham Palace.

One of the most beautiful Baroque Calvaries in Europe
is built right in the middle of the Supervolcano Stiavnica.
Here, for over millions of years hot molten lava flowed
from the heart of the Earth up to a crater 5 km high,
from where it kept erupting to an incredible height of 40 km!

The Calvary was completed in 1751 and – since the land
for the construction of the Catholic Calvary was donated
by an important Protestant family – it also symbolises the
reconciliation of Protestants and Catholics. In the middle
of the 18th century, this was considered to be a huge
ecumenical gesture, which even in today’s world should
serve as an example to us all.

In 2007 it was included in the World Monument Fund’s list
of the 100 most endangered monuments in the world;
and in 2008, at the initiative of volunteers, general
restoration works began.

Gold, silver and other precious metals have been
mined in the Supervolcano Stiavnica for more than
a thousand years. The last mine where mining still
continues is the ‘Rozália’ mine in the village
of Hodruša-Hámre. It is also one of the last active
gold mines in Europe.

Gunpowder was already known in ancient China; however,
the first written record of its use for peaceful purposes comes
from the territory of the Supervolcano Stiavnica.
Gašpar Weindl, originally from Tyrol, on 8th February 1627
used gunpowder in a local gold mine to blast rock.
This innovation brought a worldwide revolution to the mining
industry. At that time, a building called ‘Pracháreň’ served
as a central gunpowder store. Today it is a cultural monument
protected by UNESCO and is located in the town of
Banská Štiavnica.

Few people know that the oldest technical university
in the world was founded in Banská Štiavnica
by Maria Theresa in 1762. Its origins however go
back to 1735. This was also the reason why the first scientific
congress in the world, attended by the largest technical minds
of the time, was right here, at Supervolcano Stiavnica.
The congress began on 27th August 1786, and ran
a whole year. During it – for the first time in history of
mankind – gold was extracted from rock.

The global significance of the local Mining Academy
at the time can be compared to today’s global significance
of Stanford University California. The Supervolcano Stiavnica
is therefore in scientific circles sometimes referred to
as Silicon Valley of the 18th century.

It’s incredible how the remains of the Supervolcano Aniakchak
in Alaska resembles those of the Supervolcano Stiavnica.

The only difference is that the remains of the
Supervolcano Stiavnica are almost three times larger
in diameter and twice as deep.

The construction of the first geothermal power plant
in the Stratovolcano Stiavnica area is already planned
to begin next year. It will use the heat from geothermal
volcanic water, which has a temperature of up to 145 °C
and comes from a depth of approximately 3 km.
Interestingly, the power plant under the Krafla volcano
in Iceland also draws geothermal energy from a similar depth.