The competition for the new railway station took place in 1941 (during the Second World War). It was won by the architect Ján Štefanec with symmetrical composition. Two two-story wings were situated on the sides of the check-in hall. On this side, wings were located areas for railway traffic and equipment for staff and passengers. The competition project was generous in terms of architectural design. The central accent of the entire architectural composition – the check-in hall was 12 meters high. However, during the preparation of project documentation in the years 1941 to 1945, the terminal of the check-in hall was reduced to the final 10 meters.
The modified project solution was closely based on the original tender proposal. Although the railway station has a relatively complex material solution (with regard to complicated operation), the design was created in the spirit of functionalism. The final project confirmed the original solution of the building as a linear building with a central check-in hall, which is connected by two longitudinal wings.
The architecture of the railway station is presented mainly by the high mass of the check-in hall with the areas of the main facades facing the city and also to the track. The facades are divided by tall windows, which are separated by pillars (a total of eight fields). At present, the window openings are fitted with stained glass windows with the theme of historical events in Central Slovak towns. The stained glass windows are located in the main façade facing the city, the windows illuminating the check-in hall from the side of the track are glazed only with embossed glass. At the level of the entrances to the ground floor of the check-in hall, the ground floor of the railway station is separated and highlighted by the line of the advanced awning. The middle track of the station is lined with white travertine boards. Monumental sandstone sculptures are located on the sides of the entrance staircase in front of the railway station.
The interior of the check-in hall is lined with polished marble. Large-format travertine tiles are used on the floor.
In the interior of the check-in hall of the Banská Bystrica railway station, there are 8 tall windows due to its illumination. Originally, they were glazed only with embossed glass to allow scattered light to enter the check-in hall. In 1959, artistic stained glass windows with motifs of Central Slovak towns – Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica, Brezno, and Zvolen were added, which are characterized by their historical landmarks (4 stained glass windows) and figural motifs with the text FAMOUS OF FAMILY 1944 – 1945 celebrating the end of World War II uprising, liberation and Slovak people (4 stained glass). The whole composition is designed and realized with the intentions of socialist realism, which was at that time the basic form of all kinds of art. However, in the case of the railway station in Banská Bystrica, it does not act violently and currently forms a natural part of the interior and exterior of the check-in hall. The work was realized by three creators. Their names appear at the bottom of one of the stained glass windows.
In relation to the symmetrical composition of the railway station facade, two monumental sculptural works are placed in front of the railway station – male figures in life-size. In the first case, it is the figure of a lumberjack (pictured). Opposite the lumberjack stands the second sculpture with the figure of a metalworker. The author of both works is the sculptor František Gibala.
