Natural scientific collections

Inorganics

The inorganic collection consists of 5 categories of the artefacts: minerals (4 728 pieces), rocks (2 346 pieces), geological shapes, forms, phenomena (518 pieces), plant fossils (100 pieces) and animal fossils (1 040 pieces). Total collection (in 2005) consists of 8 732 pieces. Approximately one fourth comes from the world finding places of all continents, which are often the comparative samples of the kinds from the domestic finding places. More than half of the fund has its origin in the Central Slovakia, especially the acquisitions from the mining localities of the wider surrounding of Banská Bystrica. The rest of the material comes from the eastern and western Slovakia. The most precious is the set of samples from Bothar’s collection, especially precious mineralogical forms from the mining localities around Banská Bystrica, from the new acquisitions, there is crystalline antimonite from Kremnica, skeleton fragments of bears from Dolný Harmanec and Ľubietová, a spherical sandstone shape from Lipovany etc.

BOTHÁR’S COLLECTION

MUDr. Samuel Bothár

Dr. Samuel Bothár began to create his collection probably as early as a student in Banská Štiavnica, in the second half of sixties of 19th century. He kept his collecting contacts with several significant geologists of those times (J. Szabo, L. Cseh, T. Szontágh, F. Kubíny, G. Szádeczský and others). All his collection had 1600 – 1700 pieces, including 713 pieces sold by his daughter Elena to the Mining Museum in Banská Štiavnica (in 1935).
Bothár’s gift consists of (according to present condition of processing) from the artefacts of mineralogy (578 pieces), petrology (251 pieces), geology (6 pieces), paleobotany (7 pieces) and paleozoology (61 pieces). Complete collection contains 903 pieces.
The collection was being built as a systematic from the very beginning (especially minerals and rocks) with a wide international extent (22 % makes the acquisitions from the localities of all continents). Historical value belongs to the samples of minerals from Slovak typical localities (for example Libethenit and Euchroit from Ľubietová, Evansit from Železník and Devillin – Herrengrundit from Špania Dolina).
Bothár probably acquired many samples as a gift from significant personalities, which is documented by the original labels with their names, e.g. F. Kubíny (acquired in 1866 †Herrengrundit from Špania Dolina).
Bothár probably acquired many samples as a gift from significant personalities, which is documented by the original labels with their names, e.g. F. Kubíny (acquired in 1866), G. Szádeczký (acquired in 1888), K. A. Zipser (acquired 1863) and so on. The gift of Samuel Bothár is, up to now, the largest donated inorganic collection of the vast historical value in the history of the museum.

MUDr. Samuel Bothár (1845 Banská Bystrica – 1915 Banská Bystrica)

Foundation member of the Municipal Museum in Banská Bystrica (1889), a donator and originator of the first exposition presentation of the inorganic materials (1909), he was the first a lifelong custodian of the natural-scientific collections of the museum (1909 – 1915, honorary office). The fact that for the first installation, he offered his own finances to make the glass-covered show-cases, proves his bounty and love especially for minerals and also for the museum. He studied in Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica, Vienna and Budapest, he graduated in 1872 as a medical doctor. He worked as a doctor in Budapest (1872 – 1973), in Zvolen (1973 – 1882) and in Banská Bystrica (1882 – 1915). In 1885 he was accepted as a rural member of Hungarian Geological Society.

FROM BOTHÁR’S COLLECTION:

Aragonite – crystalline aragonite
To the history of Špania Dolina in 1840 there was written the finding of the special crystals of Aragonite, which were metamorphosed into calcite, calcite paramorphosis in the upper part and occurred on the druse of almost 6 metres large. There were also column crystals forming diagonal, trigonal up to hexagonal concretions. Big druse was considered to be the most beautiful complex of aragonites in the world of those times. It is indicated that it is deposited in the Natural Scientific Museum in Vienna. The presented sample is from Bothár’s collection and it was bought probably at the end of seventies of 19th century. The size of the sample is 9.5 x 6.5 x 3 cm, the size of crystals up to 20 mm x 6 mm, mostly trigonal concretions. The locality of occurrence: Špania Dolina – mine corridors of shaft Mária.

Libethenit
The name of the mineral is derived from the name of mining settlement Ľubietová (Libethen) – the first finding place of this kind in the world. It was found in the beginning of 19th century in the cracks of old mining shafts in the form of tiny crystals aggregates. Into the world mineralogy literature it was introduced by the first finding place of this kind in the world. It was found in the beginning of 19th century in the cracks of old mining shafts in the form of tiny crystals aggregates. Into the world mineralogy literature it was introduced by F.A. Breithaupt (1823) together with another new kind - Euchroit. The finding place of Libethenit is Podlipa shaft and of Euchroit Svätodušná shaft. The side of the sample is 9 x 5.5 x 4 cm, the size of crystals up to 4 mm. Size of protected kind is over 8 mm. The sample was included into the collection of S. Bothár in the nineties of 19th century.

Celestine
Nice shapes of crystals and their sky-blue colour are typical for Celestine – another mineral from Špania Dolina; it was found in the mining corridors close to the shaft Mária. Its largest crystal on the sample (11 x 6.5 x 4 cm), formed in calcite, has the size of 10 x 6 mm. S. Bothár put it into his collection in the nineties of 19th century.

Devillin Devillín (herrengrundit, úrvölgyit)
Historically significant sample originally described under the names derived from German or Hungarian name for Špania Dolina (1879). It got to Bothár’s collection in the eighties of 19th century, soon after the publishing of the description. Name of the sample Herrengrundit was used until 1940, when they found out in comparison of the samples of Devillin and Herrengrundit, that they are identical but Devillin had been described sooner in English Cornwall (in 1864). Since then there has been used the name Devillin for this mineral. The size of the sample 6 x 5 x 4.5 cm, hemispheric leaflike aggregates (up to 2 x 1 cm), the area of the aggregate exceeds the criteria of the protected kind. The locality of occurrence: Špania Dolina.

Arsenic ore (Arsenolit, Uripigment, Realgar)
Interesting sample of arsenic ore mined in the surrounding of Tajov in the first half of 19th century. S. Bothár connects its finding with smelting plant in Tajov and the stock-pile of slag in the seventies of 19th century. Primary ore, formed by Realgar and Auripigment, got into thermal contact with slag. From the leaking arsenic, there crystallized the crystals of arsenolit (up to 4 mm) and covered the area of more than 25 cm2. The area of the aggregate of the arsenolite crystals exceeds for five times the criteria of the protected kind.

Cementation copper
Natural cementation copper is historically oldest mined copper ore. In Bothár’s collection there has been preserved the sample of genuine copper covering the fragments of the rocks, in the cavities with the cubic crystals (to 1 mm). The size of the sample 8 x 5 x 4 cm markedly exceeds the criteria of the protected kind. The locality of occurrence: Špania Dolina-Piesky.

FROM THE NEWER ACQUISITIONS

Antimonite
The most beautiful crystals of antimonite from Slovak finding places are from Kremnica. In the inorganic collection there has been preserved a significant set from this locality being acquired from 19th century to eighties of 20th century. A beautiful sample is stalky aggregate from the shaft Václav on Šturec; the size of the sample is 10 x 7.5 x 6.5 cm, the longest crystal has 8 x 0.5 x 0.3 cm; the dimensions comply with the criteria of the protected kind. It has been displayed in the treasury of the exposition Nature of Central Slovakia.