Čierny Balog (until 1888 also Balog or Čierny Hronec; Hungarian: Feketebalog) is a municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia.

History

The first written record of the settlement in the area dates back to 1607 when the Emperor Rudolf II. issued a decree to regulate the growing timber industry in the region. Čierny Balog arose in 1888 through a merger of thirteen villages, i.e., Balog, Krám, Dobroč, Dolina, Fajtov, Jánošovka, Jergov, Komov, Látky, Medveďov, Pustô, Vydrovo, and Závodie. Until 1918, it belonged to Austria-Hungary as part of Zólyom County (Slovak: Zvolenská stolica/Zvolenská župa: Zvolenská stolica). It played an important role during World War II as one of the centers of the anti-Fascist Slovak National uprising. By 2024 the largest village in the Banská Bystrica Region, it punches well above its weight due to the number of notable natives, as well as its cultural and natural heritage such as the Čierny Hron Railway and Dobroč Primeval Forest.

Notable natives

• Jozef Dekrét Matejovie (* 1774 – † 1841), pioneer in forest restoration and founder of modern forestry
• Róbert Albert Gottier (* 1897 – † 1968), functionary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, organizer of the anti-fascist movement and the Slovak National Uprising in Horehronie. Vice-President of the National Assembly (1945–1954)
• Ladislav Ťažký (* 1924 – † 2011), prose writer, journalist, playwright, and screenwriter
• Jozef Kliment (* 1928 – † 2007), agricultural expert and university professor
• Anton Auxt (* 1931 – † 1987), educator and mathematician
• Anton Dekrét (* 1932), mathematician and university educator
• Peter Kováčik (* 1936), prose writer, playwright, and film screenwriter
• Tibor Šagát, (* 1942), physician and politician

Twin towns – sister cities

Čierny Balog is twinned with:

• Týniště nad Orlicí, Czech Republic

See also

• Čierny Hron Railway
• List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia