Žilina
Encyclopedia
Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia
, around 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) from the capital Bratislava
, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh
river, and the seat of a kraj
(Žilina Region
) and of an okres
(Žilina District
). It belongs to Upper Váh region
of tourism.
(about 20,000 BC). In the 5th century Slavs
started to move into the area. However, the first written reference to Žilina was in 1208 as terra de Selinan. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary
.
In the middle of the 13th century terra Sylna was the property of the Cseszneky de Milvány family. The city started to develop around year 1300, and according to records in 1312 it was already a town. In 1321, King Charles I
made Žilina a free royal town. On 7 May 1381 King Louis I issued Privilegium pro Slavis
which made the Slav inhabitants equal to the Germans
by allocating half of the seats at the city council to Slavs. The town was burned in 1431 by the Hussite
s.
During the 17th century, Žilina gained position as a center of manufacturing, trade and education and during the baroque
age many monasteries and churches were built as well as the Budatín Castle
. In the Revolutions of 1848
, Slovak volunteers, part of the Imperial Army, won a battle near the city against Hungarian honveds and gardists.
The city boomed in the second half of the 19th century as new railway tracks were built: the Kassa Oderberg Railway
was finished in 1872 and the railway to Bratislava
(Pozsony in Hungarian) in 1883, and new factories started to spring up, such as the drapery factory Slovena (1891) and the Považie chemical works (1892).
It was one of the first municipalities to sign the Martin Declaration (30 October 1918), and until March 1919 it was the seat of the Slovak government. On 6 October 1938, shortly after the Munich Agreement
, the autonomy of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia was declared in Žilina.
After Second World War
, the city continued its development with many new factories, schools and housing projects being built. It was the seat of the Žilina Region
from 1949–1960 and again since 1996.
Today Žilina is the fourth largest city in Slovakia, the third most important industrial center and the seat of a university
, the Žilinská univerzita
(founded in 1953). Since 1990 the historical center of the city has been largely restored and the city has built trolleybus
lines.
and covers an area of 80.03 square kilometres (30.9 sq mi). It is located in the Upper Váh region at the confluence of three rivers: Váh, flowing from east into south-west, Kysuca, flowing from north and Rajčanka
rivers from south, in the Žilina Basin. The city is surrounded by these mountain ranges: Malá Fatra
, Súľovské vrchy, Javorníky
and Kysucká vrchovina. Protected areas nearby include: Strážov Mountains Protected Landscape Area
, Kysuce Protected Landscape Area
and Malá Fatra National Park. There are two hydroelectric dams
on the Váh river around Žilina: the Žilina dam in the East and the Hričov dam in the West.
with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Average temperature in July is 18 °C (64.4 °F), in January -4 C. Average annual rainfall is 650 – 700 mm (25.5–27.5 in), most of the rainfall is in June and in the first half of July. Snow cover lasts from 60 to 80 days per year.
of Žilina is a golden double-cross (so-called cross of Lorraine
) with roots and two golden stars on an olive-green background. The double-cross is of Byzantine origin and stems from Cyril
lic-methodic
tradition. The coat-of-arms is one of the oldest municipal coat-of-arms not only in Slovakia but in Europe. It has been used as the city's symbol since 1378.
Žilina has a population of 85,302 (as of May 31, 2009), with the population of the urban area of 108,114 and the population of the metro area of 159,729. According to the 2001 census
, 96.9% of inhabitants were Slovaks
, 1.6% Czechs, 0.2% Roma, 0.1% Hungarians and 0.1% Moravians
. The religious makeup was 74.9% Roman Catholics, 16.7% people with no religious affiliation, and 3.7% Lutherans
.
region with a fast growing economy as North-West Slovakia's business center with large retail and construction sectors.
By far the biggest and most important employer is Korean car maker Kia Motors
. By 2009, the car plant produced 300,000 cars a year and employed up to 3,000 employees. Kia Motors' direct investment in the Žilina car plant amounts to over 1.5 billion USD
. In 2009 the Žilina car plant produced Kia cee’d, Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 car models. Kia Motors is further upgrading its capacity to be ready to produce engines for a sister company Hyundai
located nearby Ostrava
in the Czech Republic
with planned investment of 200 million USD
.
Žilina is also the seat of the biggest Slovakian construction and transportation engineering company Vahostav. The chemical industry is represented by Považské chemické závody and Tento, a paper mill
company. Siemens Mobility also has an engineering center in Žilina.
squares. The Mariánske námestie square has 106 arcade passages and 44 burgher houses along the whole square. It is dominated by the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, the old building of the city council, and the baroque statue of the Virgin Mary
. Nearby is the Church of the Holy Trinity
, a sacral building built around 1400, which is since February 2008 the cathedral of the Diocese of Žilina
. Other landmarks in and around the city include:
In addition, the city is a starting point for various locations of western and eastern Slovakia, including hiking trails into the Lesser Fatra
and Greater Fatra
mountains. Other locations of interest include Bojnice Castle
, Strečno
, Orava
region, and the villages of Čičmany
and Vlkolínec
.
Museums include:
plays in the top Slovak division Corgoň liga and is one of the most successful teams in recent years, having won five domestic titles and three runner-ups in the period between 2001-2010. The team's colors are the yellow and green from the city's flag. Home games are played at the Stadium Pod Dubňom
which is situated at the edge of city center in the neighborhood of the ice hockey
stadium. They played in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League in the group stage
for the first time in their history.
Ice hockey club MsHK Žilina
plays in the Slovak Extraliga
. They have won one domestic title so far.
and a city council
(Slovak: mestské zastupiteľstvo). The mayor is the head of the city and its chief executive, with four year term of office. The current mayor, Igor Choma, was nominated in 2010 by a coalition of the political parties SMER-SD, SZ
, ĽS-HZDS and HZD
. The council is the city's legislative body, with 31 councilmen. The last municipal election was held in 2010 and councilmen are elected to four-year terms, concurrent with the mayor's. Žilina is divided into eight electoral districts, consisting of the following neighborhoods:
Žilina is the capital of one of eight considerably autonomous Regions of Slovakia
. It is also the capital of a smaller district
. The Žilina District
(Slovak: okres Žilina) is nested within the Žilina Region. The city also hosts a regional branch of the National Bank of Slovakia
.
, which has seven faculties and has 12,402 students, including 625 doctoral students.
There are 18 public primary schools, one private primary school, and three church primary schools. Overall, they enroll 7,484 pupils. The city's system of secondary education
(some middle schools and all high schools) consists of eight gymnasia
with 3,514 students, ten specialized high school
s with 3,696 students, and nine vocational school
s with 4,870 students.
is a major rail junction.
Roads and railways connect the city with Bratislava
and Prievidza
in the south, Čadca
in the north, and Martin
in the east. The construction of the D1, and D3 motorways and their feeders continues towards Žilina.
The city is also served by international Žilina Airport
, which is some 10 km away from the city center.
Public transport within the city is operated by DPMZ and consists of bus
es (since 1949) and trolleybuses (since 1994).
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, around 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) from the capital Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh
Váh
The Váh is the longest river in entire Slovakia. A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is 406 km long, including its Čierny Váh branch...
river, and the seat of a kraj
Kraj
A kraj is the highest-level administrative unit in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. For lack of other English expressions, the Slavic term is often translated as "province", "region", or "territory", although it actually approximately means " country", or " countryside"...
(Žilina Region
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts .-Geography:It is located in northern Slovakia and has an area of 6,804 km² and a population of 694,763 . The whole area is mountainous, belonging to the Western Carpathians...
) and of an okres
Okres
Okres refers to administrative entities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia...
(Žilina District
Žilina District
The Žilina District is an okres of the Žilina Region in north-western Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was part of the Hungarian county of Trenčín.The core of the district is situated in the Váh river valley...
). It belongs to Upper Váh region
Upper Váh region
Upper Váh region is the tourism region in the north-west of Slovakia, because of its beautiful countryside it is one of the most visited regions in Slovakia...
of tourism.
History
The area around today's Žilina was inhabited in the late Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
(about 20,000 BC). In the 5th century Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
started to move into the area. However, the first written reference to Žilina was in 1208 as terra de Selinan. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
.
In the middle of the 13th century terra Sylna was the property of the Cseszneky de Milvány family. The city started to develop around year 1300, and according to records in 1312 it was already a town. In 1321, King Charles I
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
made Žilina a free royal town. On 7 May 1381 King Louis I issued Privilegium pro Slavis
Privilegium pro Slavis
Privilegium pro Slavis is a privilege granted to the Slovak inhabitants of Žilina by the King Louis I of Hungary during his visit of Žilina in 1381. According to this privilege Slovaks and Germans each occupied half of the seats in the city council and the mayor should be elected each year,...
which made the Slav inhabitants equal to the Germans
Carpathian Germans
Carpathian Germans , sometimes simply called Slovak Germans , are a group of German language speakers on the territory of present-day Slovakia...
by allocating half of the seats at the city council to Slavs. The town was burned in 1431 by the Hussite
Hussite
The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
s.
During the 17th century, Žilina gained position as a center of manufacturing, trade and education and during the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
age many monasteries and churches were built as well as the Budatín Castle
Budatín Castle
The Budatín Castle is a castle in north-western Slovakia, near the city of Žilina, where the Kysuca river flows into the Váh river.-History:...
. In the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, Slovak volunteers, part of the Imperial Army, won a battle near the city against Hungarian honveds and gardists.
The city boomed in the second half of the 19th century as new railway tracks were built: the Kassa Oderberg Railway
Košice-Bohumín Railway
The Košice–Bohumín Railway can refer to:*originally: A private railway company established in 1869 in Austria-Hungary. In 1924 the company was nationalised and put under the Czechoslovak State Railways....
was finished in 1872 and the railway to Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
(Pozsony in Hungarian) in 1883, and new factories started to spring up, such as the drapery factory Slovena (1891) and the Považie chemical works (1892).
It was one of the first municipalities to sign the Martin Declaration (30 October 1918), and until March 1919 it was the seat of the Slovak government. On 6 October 1938, shortly after the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
, the autonomy of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia was declared in Žilina.
After Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the city continued its development with many new factories, schools and housing projects being built. It was the seat of the Žilina Region
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts .-Geography:It is located in northern Slovakia and has an area of 6,804 km² and a population of 694,763 . The whole area is mountainous, belonging to the Western Carpathians...
from 1949–1960 and again since 1996.
Today Žilina is the fourth largest city in Slovakia, the third most important industrial center and the seat of a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, the Žilinská univerzita
University of Žilina
Žilinská univerzita is a modern university providing a full range of technological, economics, management and a limited range of humanistic and natural science education at under-graduate, graduate and post-graduate levels in Žilina, Slovakia.University has been formerly known as University of...
(founded in 1953). Since 1990 the historical center of the city has been largely restored and the city has built trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
lines.
Geography
Žilina lies at an altitude of 342 metres (1,122 ft) above sea levelAbove mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
and covers an area of 80.03 square kilometres (30.9 sq mi). It is located in the Upper Váh region at the confluence of three rivers: Váh, flowing from east into south-west, Kysuca, flowing from north and Rajčanka
Rajcanka
Rajčanka or Rajčianka is a 47,5 km long river in northern Slovakia springing in Strážovské vrchy near Čičmany and pouring into Váh in Žilina....
rivers from south, in the Žilina Basin. The city is surrounded by these mountain ranges: Malá Fatra
Lesser Fatra
Lesser Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area....
, Súľovské vrchy, Javorníky
Javorníky
Maple Mountains is a mountain range of the Slovak-Moravian Carpathians that forms part of the border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia....
and Kysucká vrchovina. Protected areas nearby include: Strážov Mountains Protected Landscape Area
Strážov Mountains Protected Landscape Area
Strážov Mountains Protected Landscape Area is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area is situated in the Strážov Mountains and the Súľov Mountains, part of the Western Carpathians, in western Slovakia...
, Kysuce Protected Landscape Area
Kysuce Protected Landscape Area
Kysuce Protected Landscape Area is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. It is made of two separate parts, the Javorníky mountains in the west, and Kysucké Beskydy mountains in the east, in north-western Slovakia. It is situated in the Čadca and Kysucké Nové Mesto districts, within...
and Malá Fatra National Park. There are two hydroelectric dams
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
on the Váh river around Žilina: the Žilina dam in the East and the Hričov dam in the West.
Climate
Žilina lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climateContinental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
with four distinct seasons. It is characterized by a significant variation between hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Average temperature in July is 18 °C (64.4 °F), in January -4 C. Average annual rainfall is 650 – 700 mm (25.5–27.5 in), most of the rainfall is in June and in the first half of July. Snow cover lasts from 60 to 80 days per year.
Symbol
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Žilina is a golden double-cross (so-called cross of Lorraine
Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
) with roots and two golden stars on an olive-green background. The double-cross is of Byzantine origin and stems from Cyril
Cyril
Cyril is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος meaning "Lordly, Masterful" which in turn derives from Greek κυριος "Lord"...
lic-methodic
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
tradition. The coat-of-arms is one of the oldest municipal coat-of-arms not only in Slovakia but in Europe. It has been used as the city's symbol since 1378.
Demographics
| Municipality | Urban | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Žilina | 85,302 | 85,302 |
| Kysucké Nové Mesto | - | 16,420 |
| Varín | - | 3,537 |
| Teplička nad Váhom | 3,502 | 3,502 |
| Belá | - | 3,361 |
| Rajecké Teplice | - | 2,950 |
| Rosina | 2,925 | 2,925 |
| Strečno | - | 2,661 |
| Višnové | 2,610 | 2,610 |
| Divina | - | 2,483 |
| Dlhé Pole | - | 2,029 |
| Turie | 1,981 | 1,981 |
| Kamenná Poruba | - | 1,826 |
| Stráňavy | - | 1,822 |
| Lietavská Lúčka | 1,786 | 1,786 |
| Rudina | - | 1,669 |
| Lietavská Svinná - Babkov | - | 1,596 |
| Dolný Hričov | 1,506 | 1,506 |
| Lietava | 1,422 | 1,422 |
| Radoľa | - | 1,391 |
| Konská | - | 1,393 |
| Dolná Tižiná | - | 1,243 |
| Gbeľany | 1,239 | 1,239 |
| Krasňany | 1,223 | 1,223 |
| Snežnica | - | 1,013 |
| Svederník | 1,003 | 1,003 |
| Kunerad | - | 949 |
| Nededza | 927 | 927 |
| Divinka | - | 882 |
| Lysica | - | 864 |
| Lutiše | - | 795 |
| Podhorie | - | 781 |
| Horný Hričov | - | 763 |
| Hôrky | 635 | 635 |
| Bitarová | 630 | 630 |
| Ovčiarsko | 511 | 511 |
| Brezany | 462 | 462 |
| Mojš | 450 | 450 |
| Porúbka | - | 447 |
| Rudina | - | 384 |
| Nezbudská Lúčka | - | 366 |
| Total | 108,114 | 159,729 |
Žilina has a population of 85,302 (as of May 31, 2009), with the population of the urban area of 108,114 and the population of the metro area of 159,729. According to the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 96.9% of inhabitants were Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, 1.6% Czechs, 0.2% Roma, 0.1% Hungarians and 0.1% Moravians
Moravians (ethnic group)
Moravians are the modern West Slavic inhabitants of the historical land of Moravia, the easternmost part of the Czech Republic, which includes the Moravian Slovakia. They speak the two main groups of Moravian dialects , the transitional Bohemian-Moravian dialect subgroup and standard Czech...
. The religious makeup was 74.9% Roman Catholics, 16.7% people with no religious affiliation, and 3.7% Lutherans
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
.
Economy
Žilina is the main industrial hub of upper Váh river basinDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
region with a fast growing economy as North-West Slovakia's business center with large retail and construction sectors.
By far the biggest and most important employer is Korean car maker Kia Motors
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
. By 2009, the car plant produced 300,000 cars a year and employed up to 3,000 employees. Kia Motors' direct investment in the Žilina car plant amounts to over 1.5 billion USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
. In 2009 the Žilina car plant produced Kia cee’d, Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 car models. Kia Motors is further upgrading its capacity to be ready to produce engines for a sister company Hyundai
Hyundai
Hyundai ) is a global conglomerate company, part of the Korean chaebol, that was founded in South Korea by one of the most famous businessmen in Korean history: Chung Ju-yung...
located nearby Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
with planned investment of 200 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
.
Žilina is also the seat of the biggest Slovakian construction and transportation engineering company Vahostav. The chemical industry is represented by Považské chemické závody and Tento, a paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
company. Siemens Mobility also has an engineering center in Žilina.
Main sights
The historical center of the city, reconstructed in the early 1990s is protected as a city monument reserve . It is centered on the Mariánske námestie and Andrej HlinkaAndrej Hlinka
Andrej Hlinka was a Slovak politician and Catholic priest, one of the most important Slovak public activists in Czechoslovakia before Second World War...
squares. The Mariánske námestie square has 106 arcade passages and 44 burgher houses along the whole square. It is dominated by the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, the old building of the city council, and the baroque statue of the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
. Nearby is the Church of the Holy Trinity
Church of the Holy Trinity, Žilina
The Church of the Holy Trinity, since February 2008 Holy Trinity Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Žilina, Slovakia, being one of the most significant town's monuments. Together with the Burian's Tower, it creates the typical skyline of this town.The church was built around 1400...
, a sacral building built around 1400, which is since February 2008 the cathedral of the Diocese of Žilina
Roman Catholic Diocese of Žilina
The Diocese of Žilina is a Roman Catholic diocese in north-western Slovakia including parts of the Trenčín and Žilina regions. It has its seat in Žilina...
. Other landmarks in and around the city include:
- Budatín CastleBudatín CastleThe Budatín Castle is a castle in north-western Slovakia, near the city of Žilina, where the Kysuca river flows into the Váh river.-History:...
, housing Považie Museum with its tinker trade exhibition - The wooden Roman Catholic church of St. George in the TrnovéTrnovéTrnové is a city part in the north-western Slovakia, approximately 7 kilometres south-east from Žilina.-Sights:The city part offers a great view of the Malá Fatra mountains. It is also an entrance point into these mountains. There is a wooden Gothic Roman Catholic church of Saint George built in...
section (one of the few outside north-eastern Slovakia) - The Church of St. Stephen the King, the oldest architectural landmark in Žilina
- The OrthodoxOrthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
synagogueSynagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, which now houses the Museum of Jewish culture
In addition, the city is a starting point for various locations of western and eastern Slovakia, including hiking trails into the Lesser Fatra
Lesser Fatra
Lesser Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area....
and Greater Fatra
Greater Fatra
Greater Fatra or Veľká Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area. It is situated approximately among the towns of Ružomberok, Harmanec, Turčianske Teplice and Martin...
mountains. Other locations of interest include Bojnice Castle
Bojnice Castle
Bojnice Castle is a castle in Bojnice, Slovakia. It hosts the single most popular museum in Slovakia and has featured in many movies....
, Strečno
Strecno
Strečno is a village and municipality in the Žilina District in the Žilina Region in North Slovakia. It is located by the Váh River in the Malá Fatra Mts...
, Orava
Orava (region)
Orava is the traditional name of a region situated in northern Slovakia and partially also in southern Poland . It encompasses the territory of the former Árva county.-History:...
region, and the villages of Čičmany
Cicmany
Čičmany is a village and municipality in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is known as the first folk architecture reserve in the world .-History:...
and Vlkolínec
Vlkolínec
Vlkolínec, Slovakia, is a picturesque village under the administration of the town of Ružomberok. Historically, however, it was a separate village. The first written mention of the village came from 1376 and after 1882 it became part of Ružomberok. Its name is probably derived from the Slovak word...
.
Culture
Žilina is home to two theaters, the City Theater, and the Puppet TheaterMuseums include:
- Považská galéria (Museum of Art Žilina)
- Považské múzeum (Považie museum), in the Budatín castle
- Múzeum židovskej kultúry (Museum of Jewish cultureSecular Jewish cultureSecular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the international culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews...
)
Sport
Football (soccer) club MŠK ŽilinaMŠK Žilina
MŠK Žilina is a Slovak football club, based in the town of Žilina. They play in the Slovak Superliga and are one of the most successful clubs in this competition, having won five championships since the league's inception in 1993. The club and their supporters alike are nicknamed Šošoni...
plays in the top Slovak division Corgoň liga and is one of the most successful teams in recent years, having won five domestic titles and three runner-ups in the period between 2001-2010. The team's colors are the yellow and green from the city's flag. Home games are played at the Stadium Pod Dubňom
Stadium Pod Dubnom
The Štadión pod Dubňom is an all-seater football stadium situated in Žilina, Slovakia, which has been the home of MŠK Žilina. It is named after the hill Dubeň adjacent to which is located and literally means "Stadium under the Duben Hill"....
which is situated at the edge of city center in the neighborhood of the ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
stadium. They played in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League in the group stage
2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage
This article details the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage.The group stage featured 32 teams: the 22 automatic qualifiers and the 10 winners of the play-off round ....
for the first time in their history.
Ice hockey club MsHK Žilina
MsHK Žilina
MsHK Žilina is a professional ice hockey team in the Slovak Extraliga. They are based in Žilina, Slovakia. They won the league championship in 2006.Žilina finished the 2006/07 season in the 10th place, the last of all teams.-Current roster:...
plays in the Slovak Extraliga
Slovak Extraliga
Slovak Extraliga is the name of the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the fifth strongest league in Europe. The name of the league is leased to sponsor and changes frequently. From 1993/94 to 1997/98 season it was called Extraliga, then the name...
. They have won one domestic title so far.
Government
The city is governed by a mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and a city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
(Slovak: mestské zastupiteľstvo). The mayor is the head of the city and its chief executive, with four year term of office. The current mayor, Igor Choma, was nominated in 2010 by a coalition of the political parties SMER-SD, SZ
Green Party (Slovakia)
The Green Party is an ecologist political party in Slovakia without parliamentary representation.From 1994 to 1997 the Green Party was part of the union Common Choice.- External links :*...
, ĽS-HZDS and HZD
Movement for Democracy (Slovakia)
The Movement for Democracy is a political party in Slovakia split from the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia in 2002. The first leader of the party was Ivan Gašparovič, the current president of Slovakia...
. The council is the city's legislative body, with 31 councilmen. The last municipal election was held in 2010 and councilmen are elected to four-year terms, concurrent with the mayor's. Žilina is divided into eight electoral districts, consisting of the following neighborhoods:
- Staré mesto, Hliny I-IV, Hliny VIII (5 councilmen)
- Hliny V-VII, Bôrik (4 councillors)
- SolinkySolinkySolinky is a town section of Žilina located in northwestern Slovakia, with about 10,000 inhabitants. The residential area consist mainly of low standard flats, although some modern houses have recently been built. There is a newly built Catholic church, as well as convenience stores and pubs...
(5 councilmen) - Vlčince (6 councilmen)
- Hájik (3 councilmen)
- Bytčica, Rosinky, TrnovéTrnovéTrnové is a city part in the north-western Slovakia, approximately 7 kilometres south-east from Žilina.-Sights:The city part offers a great view of the Malá Fatra mountains. It is also an entrance point into these mountains. There is a wooden Gothic Roman Catholic church of Saint George built in...
, Mojšová Lúčka (2 councillors) - Závodie, Bánová, Strážov, Žilinská Lehota (2 councillors)
- Budatín, Považský Chlmec, Vranie, Brodno, Zádubnie, Zástranie (3 councilmen)
Žilina is the capital of one of eight considerably autonomous Regions of Slovakia
Regions of Slovakia
Since 1949 , Slovakia has been divided into a number of kraje . Their number, borders and functions have been changed several times. There are currently eight regions of Slovakia and they correspond to the EU's NUTS 3 level of local administrative units. Each kraj consists of okresy...
. It is also the capital of a smaller district
Districts of Slovakia
An okres is an administrative unit in Slovakia. It is inferior to a Region and superior to a municipality.-Characteristics:Several districts form a "Region"...
. The Žilina District
Žilina District
The Žilina District is an okres of the Žilina Region in north-western Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was part of the Hungarian county of Trenčín.The core of the district is situated in the Váh river valley...
(Slovak: okres Žilina) is nested within the Žilina Region. The city also hosts a regional branch of the National Bank of Slovakia
National Bank of Slovakia
National Bank of Slovakia , is the central bank of Slovakia, which is a member of the European Union and the European System of Central Banks. Since 1 January 2009, it has also been a member of Eurosystem.-History:...
.
Education
The city is home to the University of ŽilinaUniversity of Žilina
Žilinská univerzita is a modern university providing a full range of technological, economics, management and a limited range of humanistic and natural science education at under-graduate, graduate and post-graduate levels in Žilina, Slovakia.University has been formerly known as University of...
, which has seven faculties and has 12,402 students, including 625 doctoral students.
There are 18 public primary schools, one private primary school, and three church primary schools. Overall, they enroll 7,484 pupils. The city's system of secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
(some middle schools and all high schools) consists of eight gymnasia
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
with 3,514 students, ten specialized high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s with 3,696 students, and nine vocational school
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
s with 4,870 students.
Transport
The city is an important international road junction, and Žilina railway stationŽilina railway station
Žilina railway station serves the city and municipality of Žilina, seat of the Žilina Region, northern Slovakia. Opened in 1871, the station is an important railway junction between the Bratislava–Žilina railway and the Košice–Žilina railway, both of which form part of Slovakia's main east-west...
is a major rail junction.
Roads and railways connect the city with Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and Prievidza
Prievidza
Prievidza is a city in the central-western Slovakia. With 51,200 inhabitants it is one of the biggest municipalities in the Trenčín Region.-Features:...
in the south, Čadca
Cadca
Čadca is a district town in northern Slovakia, near the border with Poland and the Czech Republic.-Geography:It is located south of the Jablunkov Pass, surrounded by the Javorníky, Kysucké Beskydy and Turzovská vrchovina mountain ranges. It lies in the valley of the Kysuca river, around 30 km...
in the north, and Martin
Martin, Slovakia
Martin is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, between the Malá Fatra and Veľká Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 58,000, which makes it the eighth largest city in Slovakia...
in the east. The construction of the D1, and D3 motorways and their feeders continues towards Žilina.
The city is also served by international Žilina Airport
Žilina Airport
Žilina Airport is an airport serving Žilina, Slovakia. It is located near the village of Dolný Hričov, approximately 10 km west of Žilina itself. The airport is used for both international and domestic flights, as well for private flights, amateur sport flights, air ambulance flights and...
, which is some 10 km away from the city center.
Public transport within the city is operated by DPMZ and consists of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es (since 1949) and trolleybuses (since 1994).
People
- AYA (band)AYA (band)AYA is a Slovak rock band formed in the fall of 1992 in Žilina, Slovakia best known for the hits Malý princ, Baby kakavové, So mnou, Teším sa na teba, Lietaj, dýchaj, buď.... The classic lineup consisted of Boris Lettrich, Mário Tománek, Vlado Kubala, Rado Pažej...
- Zuzana BabiakováZuzana BabiakováZuzana Babiaková is a Slovakian figure skater. She is a multiple Slovakian national champion and competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where she placed 21st. She won the Golden Spin of Zagreb in 2003 and the bronze at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial in 2004. She is married and has one...
- Pavol BajzaPavol BajzaPavol Bajza is a Slovak footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the 1. liga club MFK Dubnica and the Slovakia national under-21 football team.-External links:* *...
- Peter BalážPeter BalážPeter Baláž is a retired male boxer from Slovakia, who competed for his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There he was stopped in the first round of the men's light flyweight division by Indonesia's La Paene Masara.-References:*...
- Tomáš BezdedaTomáš BezdedaTomáš Bezdeda is a Slovak singer who rose to popularity after placing third in Slovensko Hľadá SuperStar, the Slovak version of Pop Idol, shown by STV. He worked as a moderator of the music program XXL in STV...
(born 1985, here), singer - Jakab Cseszneky de Csesznek et Visk, medieval magnate
- Martin DúbravkaMartin DúbravkaMartin Dúbravka is a Slovak footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Slovak Corgoň Liga club MŠK Žilina.-Club career:Dúbravka made his senior team debut in a 5–2 home win against Dubnica on 26 May 2009. In the next season he played 26 Corgoň Liga games, finishing as a league champion. He...
- Martin ĎuricaMartin ĎuricaMartin Ďurica is a Slovakian football midfielder currently playing for FK Senica, who has represented the Slovakia national team playing in the qualifiers for Euro 2004....
- Ľubomír FeldekLubomír FeldekĽubomír Feldek is a Slovak poet, writer, playwright, and translator. He is married to Oľga Feldeková....
(born 1936, here), Slovak poet - Ján FranekJán FranekJan Franek is a retired boxer, who represented Czechoslovakia at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union. There he won the bronze medal in the light middleweight division , after being defeated in the semifinals by eventual gold medalist Armando Martínez. He is the father of current Miss...
(born 1960, here) - Ľudovít FullaLudovít FullaĽudovít Fulla was a Slovak painter, graphic artist, illustrator, stage designer and art teacher. He is considered one of the most important figures of Slovakian Creative Art in the 20th century....
- Stanislav GrigaStanislav GrigaStanislav Griga was a Czechoslovak football player and later a football manager. He played 34 matches for Czechoslovakia and scored eight goals....
(born 1961, here), football coach - Ladislav HechtLadislav HechtLadislav Hecht was a Jewish professional tennis player, well known for representing Czechoslovakia in the Davis Cup during the 1930s....
- Tomáš HubočanTomáš HubocanTomáš Hubočan is a Slovak football defender who currently plays for FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.-MŠK Žilina:...
- Peter HofericaPeter HofericaPeter Hoferica is a Slovak football midfielder who currently plays for the Slovak Corgoň Liga club MFK Ružomberok.-External links:* at mfkruzomberok.sk * at transfermarkt.co.uk...
- Miroslav HýllMiroslav HýllMiroslav Hýll is a Slovak football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Artmedia Bratislava and previously the Slovakia national football team....
- Juraj JánošíkJuraj JánošíkJuraj Jánošík was a famous Slovak Carpathian Highwayman....
, Slovak national hero - Karol Križan, ice hockey player
- Dušan KuciakDušan KuciakDušan Kuciak is a Slovak footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Polish T-Mobile Ekstraklasa side Legia Warsaw and the Slovakia national team.-Club career:...
- Martin KuciakMartin KuciakMartin Kuciak is a Slovak football goalkeeper who currently plays for the Slovak Corgoň Liga club FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce.-External links:* at fcvion.sk * at transfermarkt.co.uk...
- Branislav LabantBranislav LabantBranislav Labant is a retired Slovak footballer who last played for FC Nitra in the Slovak Corgoň liga.-Club career:Labant previously played for FK Viktoria Žižkov in the Czech Gambrinus Liga...
- Gwido LangerGwido LangerLt. Col. Karol Gwido Langer was chief of the Polish General Staff's Cipher Bureau from at least mid-1931.-Life:...
- Dávid LeimdörferDavid LeimdörferDr. David Leimdörfer was a rabbi born in Hliník nad Hronom , Kingdom of Hungary, 17 September 1851.He was educated at his native place and at Zsolna , Waitzen , Budapest, Pressburg , and Vienna...
, rabbi and author - Vladimír LeitnerVladimír LeitnerVladimir Leitner is a Slovak football defender who currently plays for the Slovak Corgoň Liga club MŠK Žilina. Leitner played 25 international games for Slovakia and scored one goal.-Žilina:*Corgoň Liga: 2006–07, 2009–10...
- Ján MikolajJán MikolajJán Mikolaj is a Slovak politician, who is a member of Slovak National Party and the current Slovak Education Minister. Formerly he was a member of Mečiar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. After the demission of Igor Štefanov Mikolaj was also Minister for Construction and Regional...
- Marek MintálMarek MintálMarek Mintál is a Slovak international football player who currently plays for Hansa Rostock.-Career:Mintál start to play football in Slovak club MŠK Žilina, with whom he won back-to-back Slovak championships in 2001–02 and 2002–03. This was also due to his scoring 20 and 21 goals respectively...
, football (soccer) player - Emil PažickýEmil PažickýEmil Pažický was a Slovak football player, who played for Czechoslovakia, for whom he obtained 18 caps...
- Peter PekaríkPeter PekaríkPeter Pekarík is a Slovak football defender who currently plays for the Süper Lig club Kayserispor and the Slovakia national football team.-Žilina:...
, football player - Ronald PetrovickýRonald PetrovickýRonald Petrovický is a Slovak ice hockey right wing formerly playing for Kontinental Hockey League team Dinamo Riga. He is currently with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League...
, ice hockey player - Branislav RzeszotoBranislav RzeszotoBranislav Rzeszoto is an Slovak football Goalkeeper who currently plays for Ascoli Calcio.-Club career:Rzeszoto previously played for MŠK Žilina, FC Spartak Trnava and ŠK Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Corgoň Liga. He also played for FC Tescoma Zlín and FC Vysočina Jihlava in the Czech Gambrinus...
- Dárius RusnákDárius RusnákDárius Rusnák is a retired Slovak professional ice hockey forward who played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga for HC Slovan Bratislava. He was a member of the Czechoslovak 1981 Canada Cup team and was a silver medalist at the 1984 Winter Olympics...
- Peter SaganPeter SaganPeter Sagan is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing....
, cyclist - Ján SlotaJán SlotaJán Slota is the co-founder and President of the Slovak National Party, an extremist nationalist party. Slota as the leader of SNS entered into a coalition with Robert Fico's Smer in 2006...
- Ľuboš ŠoškaĽuboš ŠoškaĽuboš Šoška is a Slovak slalom canoer who competed from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s. He won a bronze medal in the C-2 team event at the 2006 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Prague....
- Peter ŠoškaPeter ŠoškaPeter Šoška is a Slovak slalom canoer who competed from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s. He won a bronze medal in the C-2 team event at the 2006 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Prague....
- Martin ŠulíkMartin ŠulíkMartin Šulík is a Slovak film director. He studied film directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava from which he graduated in 1986...
, actor - Miroslav ŠustekMiroslav ŠustekMiroslav Šustek is a Slovak horror and ghost story writer. Despite his forty years of prolific writing, his debut short story collection, Nie ste vy náhodou ten chýrny pán Rafin? was only first published in 2007.-Biography:Miroslav Šustek was born on January 4, 1947 in Žilina, Slovakia...
, writer - Viktor TauskViktor TauskViktor Tausk was a pioneer psychoanalyst and neurologist. A student and a colleague of Sigmund Freud, he was the earliest exponent of psychoanalytical concepts with regard to clinical psychosis and the personality of the artist.-Career:Tausk had been a lawyer and writer when he began to study...
, psychoanalyst - Jozef VenglošJozef VenglošDr. Jozef Vengloš is a former Czechoslovak football player and coach. He has a Doctorate in Physical Education, as well as specialising in Psychology...
- Radoslav ŽidekRadoslav ŽidekRadoslav Židek is a snowboarder who became the first Slovak to win a Winter Olympics medal. He won a silver in Snowboard Cross at the 2006 Winter Olympics.-External links:...
, snowboarder, the first Slovakian medal winner at the Winter Olympic GamesWinter Olympic GamesThe Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
Twin towns - Sister cities
Žilina has several twin towns around the world:| Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała -Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 74,302 . It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River.... , Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east... Changchun Changchun Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin province, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the center of the Songliao Plain. It is administered as a sub-provincial city with a population of 7,677,089 at the 2010 census under its jurisdiction, including counties and... , China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... Chania Chania Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
Corby Corby Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure... , United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... Cotonou Cotonou -Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:... , Benin Benin Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located... Dnipropetrovsk Dnipropetrovsk Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country... , Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... Essen Essen, Belgium Essen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Essen Centrum, Heikant, Horendonk, Wildert, Statie en Hoek. On January 1, 2007 Essen had a total population of 17,143. The total area is 47.48 km² which gives a population density of 358... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
Ferrara Ferrara Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... Czechowice-Dziedzice Czechowice-Dziedzice Czechowice-Dziedzice is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 34,867 inhabitants . It lies on the northeastern edge of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... Hrodna Hrodna Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants... , Belarus Belarus Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,... Kikinda Kikinda Kikinda is a town and a municipality located in Serbia, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is the administrative centre of the North Banat District. The town has 42,000 inhabitants, while the municipality has approximately 67,000 inhabitants.The modern city was founded in 18th century... , Serbia Serbia Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans... |
Koper, Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of... Izmir Izmir Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey... , Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... Nanterre Nanterre Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre.... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... Maykop Maykop Maykop is the capital city of the Republic of Adygea, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River . Population: -History:... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
Burgas Burgas -History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower... , Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east... |