Huta Etelka in Nižná Slaná

Huta Etelka in Nižná Slaná is an extremely valuable technical monument and an important document of iron production in Central Europe. The blast furnace was built in 1867 by Count Emanuel Andrássy. The Iron Count, as he was nicknamed, contributed significantly to the development of mining and metallurgy in Gemer. The furnace was named after his mother, Etelka Sapári. The nearby smelter Karol is named after his father. The Etelka smelter operated until 1907. In the blast furnace, siderite ore was compacted for roasting, which was served by eight roasting furnaces. Annual production of pig iron ranged from 3,500 to 6,300 tons (in 1898).

Today, this gem is falling into disrepair. In December 2014, however, it managed to get the monument under the non-profit organization Barbora, which plans to renovate it in cooperation with the Association of Mining Associations and Guilds of Slovakia. The vision is to get Etelka back to the state of 1910. It is to be part of the Iron Road of Slovakia project.