Forget Romeo and Juliet. A Slovak Verona recounts a real-life love story

The love between Andrej and Marína was not meant to be.

Banka lásky or Love Bank in Banská Štiavnica, central Slovakia.Banka lásky or Love Bank in Banská Štiavnica, central Slovakia. (Source: TSS)

They were both young. He was her teacher, she was his student. And they fell for each other.

This is not a story of love between Romeo and Juliet. It is a real love story between Krupina-born poet Andrej Sládkovič and Marína Pišlová from Banská Štiavnica. It all happened in the 19th century but did not last forever.

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Nevertheless, their love, which was born in Banská Štiavnica, lives on. Sládkovič wrote the longest love poem, named Marína, to show his love. Little did he know it was going to become a modern-day treasure.

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Banská Štiavnica has become home to a love bank, which recounts Marína and Andrej’s story. It is housed in a special place and offers more than a story. People from all over the world store their tokens of love here.

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