Zilina

Zilina is a heavily forested region of valleys bordered by mountains. The region is a good place for mountain sports, hunting and fishing. There are also excellent thermal baths at Turcianske Teplice and Korytnica. The region also has the low tatras which boast some world renowned caves.

The main city, Zilina, is the third largest in the country. The Budatin castle and the Burian tower are the best known of the cities historical monuments. The Turiec area is an area of outstanding natural beauty which centers around the Martinske Hole, a mountain with ski trails and many leisure activities.

Situated in the far northwest of the country, Zilina is one of Slovakia's larger cities with an estimated population of 90,000. It is an attractive area that welcomes visitors with its charmingly unique local culture. Its landscape betrays a strong sense of its history, one that has been colourful, occasionally turbulent, but most often proud.

History and Identity

Zilina is thought to be among the country's very early settlements, with its boundaries being clearly drawn prior to the 5th Century. The earliest and most reliable documented historical evidence of the town began to be formed in the 13th and 14th Centuries when it acquired its name and began to be a place of interest for visiting business people and aristocrats. The development of the town from this time owed a lot to the partnerships of Slovaks with foreign settlers, mainly from Germany. This assimilation of locals and migrants was accompanied by a healthy growth of local businesses. The manuafacturing and textile industries were in particular strong performers and with the introduction of training guilds, Zilina began to boast of a skilled working population - a trend that continues to this day with the central role played by the town's university, specialising in transportation and technology. Aiding industry and education also was the building of a printing press in the town in the middle of the 17th Century, making Zilina one of the earliest distributors of literature in the country. Another important development was the building of railroads and railways around the city in the latter half of the 19th Century, improving Zilina's trade-links and encouraging many new visitors to the burgeoning area.

As well as epochs of development, Zilina has been host to events of unrest at occasions in its history. Slovak resentment at Hungarian rule had surfaced at certain periods since the 14th Century, with sometime violent repercussions. In the mid 19th Century, Zilina was a site of hostilities between local nationals and imperial soldiers, in what was in effect to these Slovakians a civil rights protest. The locals were seen as being eventually victorious in their struggle.

In the 20th Century Zilina experienced some notable high-points. Their was a spell of public works and buildings initiatives in the 1950s and 1960s, which led to the creation of a university in the town along with new factories, offices, schools and libraries being built. This regeneration has continued steadily up to the present and in 1996 a great honour was bestowed upon the town when Zilina was once again declared by the Slovakian state to be a government region, recovering this status that it had lost in the 1960s.

Culture and Tourism

Zilina has an effervescent and unique cultural life; a visitor will find that there is always something going on, through the seasons and in and out of doors. Slovakian people have a definite musical inclination and those of Zilina seem to typify this trait. The town's best classical musicians form a large part of the contingent of the Slovakian National Chamber Orchestra. A chance to hear the Orchestra perform - in Zilina, Slovakia or at some of the international venues it tours - is inviting for any lovers of classical music. The bigger picture of the musical scene here shows a diverse musical culture, with some homegrown rock and folk bands performing regularly on the local circuit; one of the major music events of the year is the lively Folk Festival that occurs in the late summer. The musical temperament of the city is hard to ignore; the programme diary of the local theatre shows much devotion to a wide range of music and the summer festival in Zilina is characterised by the buzz of street music and performance.

For those more inclined towards visual entertainment, there is a film and television festival to look out for as summer turns to autumn. Here media types and enthusiasts gather for a major exhibition of a mixture of national and foreign audio-visual works. An excellent attraction for children - and adults with a sense of mischief - is the town's traditional Puppet Theatre, performing daily. Zilina also contains several museums and galleries and among the local arts and crafts visitors are sure to find the singular practise of 'wiring art' a fascinating localism. The shaping and crafting of metal wiring to make functional implements had been a valued trade in the Zilina region circa 19th Century. Since then the emphasis has been on the decorative and artistic possibilities of wiring. Examples of the best of this relatively new form of creative expression can be seen at the Povazske Museum. The Povazske art gallery has a similar touch of Zilina's particular character, featuring as it does some exhibitions by many local artists among its works.

When visiting Zilina it is most likely that you will find soon yourself in the Pedestrian Zone; it is a lengthy stretch of wide Boulevard that extends from the rail station to the city centre. It certainly offers a good opportunity to take in what Zilina is made of and a walk here will allow you to reach some of the town's significant landmarks. The Square of the Virgin Mary near the centre is of particular historical importance. At this site in the mid 19th Century leaders of a Slovak national resistance group gathered to urge Zilina's people to continue the struggle against what they saw as the oppressive rule of the Hungarian empire in the region. A stone memorial in this square today honours their efforts. Another mark of history is apparent on the site of the old Town Hall. Here a plaque on the wall is dedicated to the passing of legislation in 1881 known as 'Privelgeum pro Slavis'. This was essentially a bill of rights that accorded those Slovakians in the region an equal status with the many frequently wealthy settlers coming to the town. Zilina has come a long way since from these days of struggle, and a walk into the city centre will offer glimpses of this history and much else besides.

Zilina Transport

If flying, travellers are best advised to touch down in Bratislava. From there train services are very regular throughout the day and the journey should be covered within a few hours. Bus journeys are also a good option particularly if coming out of other Slovakian towns. Euroline bus services will take visitors into Zilina - often requiring changes - from major European destinations. If driving, you should be prepared to negotiate some smaller local roads, as a direct motorway link is currently being developed.