Return to the past and immerse yourself in the story of ruins and mysterious derelict buildings that once contributed to the glory and prosperity of Horehronie. After almost a century, life is returning to the former seat of the nobility and the flourishing Pohorelá ironworks complex.
The history of iron-producing Horehronie is associated with the Koháry family and later the Coburg family, whose manufacturing enterprises brought about the region’s industrial and construction boom. The aristocratic Coburg family, and especially the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand Coburg, left a distinct mark on Horehronie in the form of a prosperous ironworks complex and a flourishing part of the region.
The Pohorelá (Coburg) ironworks complex consisted of seven hammer mill settlements along the upper course of the Hron River. Production there ceased at the very beginning of the 20th century. Today, this complex is being given a chance to rise from the ashes again through the linking of sites within a cultural route.
Step back in time and walk through the once famous, but now almost forgotten, architectural structures of the Pohorelá ironworks complex.
Discover the beautiful historic Coburg Park in Pohorelská Maša, the ruins of Ferdinand’s smelter, the church in Vaľkovňa, the upper hammer mill in Zlatno, or the hunting lodge on Predná Hora. In addition to historical facts, you will delve into the life of Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand Coburg and the Coburg family and learn many curiosities.
Did you know that almost every time during his stay in Horehronie he visited the enormous beech tree at the Javorina saddle? It was his mother’s favorite place. He even took special care of it – collecting broken branches from around it and having it watered with ox blood during periods of drought.
The little-known Coburg Iron Route connects industrial heritage sites with the “ordinary” life of aristocratic families in Horehronie. The traces of the life of the noble family and the extensive Pohorelá ironworks complex are now only faintly visible, swept away by uncaring time.
But the hunting trails, the shade of the forests, the beautiful meadows of Zlatno, and the views of Kráľova hoľa have remained just as beautiful, picturesque, and majestic as they were in the time of the Coburgs’ flourishing on Horehronie. Let yourself be drawn in by them during a unique guided tour.
