Kremnica

Kremnica
Town
Coat of arms
Country	Slovakia
Region	Banská Bystrica
District	Žiar nad Hronom
Elevation	550 m (1,804 ft)
Coordinates	48°41′59″N 18°54′57″E / 48.69972°N 18.91583°E / 48.69972; 18.91583Coordinates: 48°41′59″N 18°54′57″E / 48.69972°N 18.91583°E / 48.69972; 18.91583
Area	43.13 km2 (16.65 sq mi)
Population	5,528 (2013-12-31)
Density	128/km2 (332/sq mi)
First mentioned	1328
Mayor	Alexander Ferenčík
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	96701
Area code	+421-45
Car plate	ZH
Location in Slovakia
Location in the Banská Bystrica Region
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
Website: www.kremnica.sk

Kremnica ( pronunciation ; German: Kremnitz, Hungarian: Körmöcbánya) is a town in central Slovakia. It has some 5,700 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.

The name is derived from Slovak kremeň, kremenina (flint) with a femine suffix -ica, functioning to create local names.

Kremnica was among the major mining towns of the world during the Middle Ages and in the modern era due to the abundant gold ore deposits in the Kremnica Mountains. However, the first evidence of sub-surface mining activities comes from the 9th century.

In the 13th century the inhabitants of this area were affected by the invasion of the Mongols. Following that difficult period, Hungarian kings invited new colonists from Germany to settle in the region to help replenish the decimated population. They went on to restore the mining activities in the town. The first written reference to the town dates back to 1328, when it was granted royal town privileges by King Charles I of Hungary.