Banská Štiavnica honoured with EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award 

A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the Samuel Mikovíni United School in Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia, on 22 September 2026. The plaque marks the site’s recognition with a EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award, which celebrates places that have made an outstanding contribution to the history of chemistry in Europe. 

Banská Štiavnica has a distinguished place in European chemical education. In 1763, Empress Maria Theresa ordered the establishment of the High Mining School, including a Department of Chemistry, Mineralogy and Metallurgy led by its first professor, Mikuláš Jozef Jacquin. The school later became the Mining Academy, an important centre for research in these fields that helped advance experimental methods based on measurement and weighing. 

The ceremony brought together EuChemS President Angela Agostiano, Vice President and President-Elect Wolfram Koch, and Secretary General Nineta Hrastelj. They were joined by Slovak Chemical Society (SChemS) President Lubomír Švorc, Honorary President Viktor Milata, Banská Štiavnica Mayor Nadežda Babiaková and the school’s leadership. Representatives of SChemS, EuChemS and IUPAC contributed to the programme before the plaque was officially unveiled. Among the invited guests were Hungarian Chemical Society President Peter Szalay and EuChemS Executive Board member Renata Orinakova. 

The occasion also included the presentation of the Slovak Chemical Society’s Gold Medal to Wolfram Koch. 

EuChemS launched its Historical Landmarks Award programme in 2018. By the end of 2025, it had recognised 14 sites of historical importance at European and regional level.