Zvolen is a railway and forestry town in the middle of Slovakia, where the Hron and Slatina rivers meet in a broad basin ringed by the volcanic hills of the Slovak Ore Mountains. It is not a famous place, and it does not try to be. Instead it is practical, with a big university of forestry and technology, trains running in all directions, and a large number of people who work with wood and trees.
The notable building is the castle, a Gothic stronghold founded in the late fourteenth century under King Louis I of Hungary, who used it as a royal hunting residence. Its four corner towers and courtyard are neat and square, and the castle now houses part of the Slovak National Gallery with old masters and decorative art. Nearby, the main square is lined with old buildings, and in the surrounding hills the Borová hora arboretum collects hundreds of tree species from across the world.
For riders, Zvolen is a hub on the way to some of central Slovakia's best country. North-east, the road toward Detva climbs into the foothills of the Poľana, a huge extinct volcano whose forested caldera, now a protected landscape, is quiet and mossy. West lie the old silver-mining towns, with Banská Štiavnica, a UNESCO site of steep lanes and baroque churches, about forty minutes away. The roads are winding, with mixed surfaces, and in places the edges are rough after winter. Traffic is moderate in the valleys and light in the hills.
Spring is green and damp, summer warm, and autumn can be glorious as the beech forests turn colour. In winter snow arrives on the higher roads, and the valleys can hold fog for days.
Fuel is easy in a town of forty-four thousand, with stations at the roundabouts and supermarkets for supplies. Local food centres on hearty dishes like bryndzové halušky, potato dumplings with sheep cheese, and smoked sausages, washed down with Slovak beer or a glass of the fruit brandy known as slivovica.