Andreja Kmeťa Trail / Bzenica - Vodný raj Vyhne - Saddle Červená studňa - Sitno /

We, the Sas, decided to complete part of the tourist trail and set off from the saddle Červená studňa to the legendary Sitno.

Vyhne. A village northeast of Žarnovica, or northwest of Banská Štiavnica in the valley of the Vyhniansky stream at the edge of the Štiavnické Hills. It was established in 1893 by merging two parts – Peserany and Vyhne. The first written mention of the village dates from 1326. King Andrew II summoned Saxons here for ore mining (gold, silver, iron). Iron ore was processed here in blacksmith workshops – "vyhnia" –, from which the village's name derives, and in hammer mills.  In 1839, a foundry for the production of mining machines and equipment was established here, later also producing weapons. Thermal baths have been known since the 13th century. In 1473, allegedly the Templar knights founded a brewery here, the oldest in Slovakia.  In the village center stands a dilapidated malt house building where it was originally located. The mining history of the village is covered by the mining educational trail "In the footsteps of mining activities in Vyhne." 

Andrej Kmeť. Roman Catholic priest, Slovak polyhistor, archaeologist, geologist, mineralogist, paleontologist, historian, botanist, and ethnographer. He studied theology in Esztergom, and throughout his active life worked as a chaplain and priest in the Banská Štiavnica area – in Senohrad, Krnišov, and the longest time in Prenčov. He had a passion for botany from a young age. He engaged in various field researches in natural and other sciences, collaborating with professors from the Mining and Forestry Academy in Banská Štiavnica. He discovered several new plant species, especially roses. About 40 species of mainly roses and fungi were named after him. He compiled a herbarium with 72 thousand items. In 1863, he took part in the founding assembly of the Matica slovenská and became one of its first members. He contributed to the establishment of the Slovak Museum Society (1893), which became a historic milestone in the development of Slovak science. He donated all his collections to the society and became its lifelong chairman. He is buried in the National Cemetery in Martin. In 1948, the village Ďorok in the middle Žitava was renamed to Kmeťovo in his honor.

Vyhne Spa. Historical spa in the village of Vyhne, known since the 13th century, developed around a source of 37 °C warm natural mineralized, hydrocarbonate-sulphate, calcium-magnesium, hypotonic water, related to the intersection of geological faults indicated by the valleys of Vyhniansky and Klokočský streams.  The thermal water source is now used year-round in a wellness center built in 2007 with pools of varying temperature (29 – 36 °C) and other recreational functions.

Vyhniansky travertine. A small recent travertine mound with about 3.5 m high waterfall on the southwestern edge of the intravillage area of Vyhne at the mouth of the Klokočský stream valley in the Štiavnické Hills. The formation was created by the settling of precipitated mineral substances (carbonates) from artificially diverted water from the nearby thermal spring Vyhnianka, which yields thermal iron-calcium-magnesium water at 38 °C from a 187 m long adit. The mound’s tall slender shape resembles an elephant's head. Fragments of brittle tuff around it contain "fossilized" plant parts (leaves, twigs, etc.) and possibly small animals. (In the past, the geomorphological formation held the status of a natural monument.)

Kamenné more Nature Reserve. Protected area, one of the oldest in Slovakia, located north above the village of Vyhne in the Štiavnické Hills, declared on the southern slope of Kamenná peak (495 m a.s.l.) already in 1923 to protect the largest stone sea in the volcanic part of the Carpathians, which is also an important site for protected and rare animal species, especially reptiles (the green lizard is typical, 

Štiavnické vrchy Protected Landscape Area (PLA). A protected area declared in 1979 covering almost the entire Štiavnické Hills, except for some peripheral parts.