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The town of Žilina
The town of Žilina is a main regional city located in the northertn part of Slovakia. It lies at the confluence of the rivers Váh, Kysuca and Rajčianka between the mountains of Malá Fatra, Javorníky and Kysucká vrchovina. Its area is 80.03 km2 and its altitude is 345 metres above the sea. In terms of population, Žilina is the fourth largest city in Slovakia. It is the administrative, economic, transport and cultural center of northwestern Slovakia, sometimes called the "Pearl upon the Váh".
The first mention of Žilina dates back to 1208, when Žilina was mentioned as a territory which consisted of only a few settlements. Thanks to the various privileges and rights granted by the kings of that time, from the 14th century Žilina gradually rose economically and legally, which was necessary for the subsequent prosperity of the city and the local population. Between 1431 and 1434, Žilina experienced a total devastation due to double conquest and burning of the city by Hussite troops. From the end of the 16th century, Žilina again experienced a period of economic flourishing, which was ended by a plague pandemic and an unsuccessful conspiracy against the Habsburgs. An important event was the victory of Slovak volunteers fighting for the rights of Slovaks over the Hungarian guards in the battles of Budatín. After the end of the fighting, on January 4th, 1849, Ľudovít Štúr and Jozef Miroslav Hurban gave a speech at the „Žilina´s rínok“ - today's Marianske square, in which they called the people of Žilina to fight for national interests. At the end of the 19th century, Žilina became an important railway junction. At the beginning of the 20th century, plants for the production of cellulose, tar and matches were created in the city. In 1949, the Žilina Region was formed and was the most industrialized region of Slovakia, it existed until 1960. From the end of the 20th century, the city underwent further development, from the launch of the trolleybus line, the re-proclamation as a regional city, to the commissioning of the Waterworks. At the beginning of the 21st century, the foundation stone of the KIA carmaker was laid.
There are many interesting places in the vicinity of Žilina, for instance, the spa Rajecke Teplice, the village of Terchová which is the birthplace of Juraj Jánošík and Čičmany famous for its cottages painted with folk symbols. Žilina is surrounded by five castles - Lietava, Hričov, Budatín, Strečno and Old Castle (Starý hrad).
