Žilina

Žilina (German: Sillein, Hungarian: Zsolna) is a city in northwestern Slovakia.

Žilina
City
Flag Coat of arms
Žilina Location in Slovakia Žilina Žilina (Slovakia)
Coordinates: 49°13′22″N 18°44′24″E
Country	Slovakia
Region	Žilina
District	Žilina
First mentioned	1208
Government
• Mayor	Peter Fiabáne
Area
• Total	80.04 km2 (30.90 sq mi)
	(2022)
Elevation	342 m (1,122 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	81,219
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	010 01
Area code	+421-41
Car plate	ZA
Website	www.zilina.sk

Geography

The city is located in the northwestern Slovakia, at the confluence of Váh, Kysuca and Rajčanka rivers. It is surrounded by numerous mountains ranges, for example Lesser Fatra, Strážov Mountains and many others.

History

People have lived here since the Neolithic age. The Slavs started to move here in the 5th century. German colonists started to live here since the 13th century. When the Hussites burned the city down, it declined it for some time. It regained its position in the 19th century, when it became an important railway junction. Today, it is the fifth largest town in Slovakia and the third most important industrial centre in Slovakia.

Sights

The centre of the city is the Mariánske námestie, with the city hall, baroque statue of the Virgin Mary and so on. Other sights include:

• The Budatín Castle
• Wooden church of St. George (one of the few outside north-eastern Slovakia)
• Church of St. Stephen the King
• Orthodox synagogue

Economy

Žilina is the main industrial and business centre of the Váh river. The biggest employer is the Kia Motors company, which invested here 1 billion dollars and created 3000 work positions.

Twin towns

• Bielsko-Biała, Poland
• Corby, England
• Ferrara, Italy
• Changchun, China
• Maykop, Russia
• Nanterre(part of Paris), France
• Piatra Neamţ, Romania

Other websites

• Official site
• Photo gallery of Žilina
• Žilina information Archived 2007-03-22 at the Wayback Machine