During a walking tour of Banska Stiavnica in late September 2019 with our group of 22, the local guide stopped in front of this structure. She called this "Marina's House," a place that celebrates, and houses, the world's longest love poem, written by Andrej Sladkovic.

She told us the following story: Andrej was from a poor family, and to earn money, he tutored Marina at her parents' house. Her parents were among the richest families in Banska Stiavnica (the Pischl Family). While teaching her, they fell in love.However, the gap between their property and origin was too much to be surmounted. Marina's family insisted she marry a rich man, while Sladkovic was studying in Bratislava, the marriage taking place in 1845. At some point, Andrej wrote his 2,920-line poem, "Marina," that was eventually published in 1846. Both our local guide, and our Tour Leader told us that this poem is studied and memorized in Slovak schools!!

Also of interest is the fact that the house is part of a 500-year-old gold mine, and is the house where Marina lived for most of her life. This house also contains a Lover's Vault with 100,000 tiny drawers for lovers to place their words.