Žilina
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
| Žilina | |
 |
|
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Slovakia |
| Region (kraj) | Žilina Region |
| Districts | Žilina District |
| History | |
| First mentioned | 1208 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Ivan Harman |
| Area | |
| - City | 80.03 km² |
| Elevation | 342 m |
| Population | |
| - City (2005) | 86,137 |
| - Density | 1076.3/km² |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal Code | 01001 |
| Website: www.zilina.sk | |
Žilina (German: Sillein, Hungarian: Zsolna) is a city in northwestern Slovakia.
Contents |
[change] 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.
[change] 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.
[change] 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
[change] 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.
[change] Twin towns
Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Corby, England
Ferrara, Italy
Changchun, China
Maykop, Russia
Nanterre(part of Paris), France
Piatra Neamţ, Romania
[change] Other websites
