The renewed prosperity resulted in great economic and cultural development of Banská Štiavnica. In 1782, Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya) was the third biggest town in the Kingdom of Hungary (with 23,192 or including suburbs 40,000 inhabitants), after Bratislava (Pozsony) and Debrecen. In 1762, Queen Maria Theresa ordered the establishment of a Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica, creating the first technical university in the world. The town was chosen "because it had mining, hydrological, metallurgical, propulsion, and testing equipment as well as fire, water and air devices, and pendulum-action drainage devices which did not exist in other mining locations," in other words because of its tajchy. Tajchy were also praised by their royal visitors, including Francis I, Joseph II, and Leopold II.