Žilina Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Žilina

City

Flag	Coat of arms

Žilina

Location in Žilina Region

Žilina

Location in Slovakia

Žilina

Žilina

First mentioned

1208

Area

• Total

80.028 km² (30.899 sq mi)

Elevation

342 m (1,122 ft)

Population

(2018-12-31)

• Total

80,810

• Density

1,009.77/km² (2,615.30/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postal code

010 01

Area code(s)

+421-41

Car plate

Website

www.zilina.sk

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

Geography
History
Sights
Economy
Twin towns
Images for kids
See also

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.