1208-2008

Since the early Middle Ages, Žilina had all conditions to become a centre of north-west Slovakia. It had a favourable location, lying on intersection of important roads and three rivers. The first written reference to Žilina is dated of 1208. The area around the today’s square, with a guard castle and with a Slavic village and the Church of the Holy Trinity existing there as an extramural settlement at least since the 13th century, constituted the centre of the future town. In the town surrounding, there were 6 smaller villages, with the Church of St. Stephen the King built around 1230 as their religious centre. With a development of crafts and trade in this area, the assumptions were created for genesis of a town establishment. The town was established at the end of the 13th century, after the arrival of German visitors from the Polish town Těšín (Cieszyn).

The town obtained the first privilege from the Árpáds around 1290. The first reference to Žilina as a town is dated in 1312. The first preserved town privilege, granted by the King Robert, is dated in 1321. At that time, Žilina became a royal property again. The town became a centre of crafts, trade and legal centre for wide area of communities of the north-western Slovakia, governed by the laws of Žilina (Germany). Citizens of Žilina established many communities in the Váh region (Považie), Turiec region and Kysuce region. That way, they contributed to completion of settlement of this part of Slovakia. The Žilina legal circuit was the biggest one in Slovakia. In Žilina as well, there was a hereditary reeve who, besides the ownership of lands at Frambor quarter, obtained since 1352 the town Krásno nad Kysucou with a territory up to frontiers with Poland and Moravia. 

By 1369, Těšín (Cieszyn) was the appeal site for Žilina. Since 1384, at the monarch’s bidding, Žilina took over the rights of Krupina town. In 1378, this originally German law of Magdeburg was transcribed in German into the Book of Žilina (Žilinská kniha), into which records of sessions of the town council, composed of twelve members, were written during following years. These records were written in German, Latin and Slovak languages. A record dated of 1451 is the first record written in Slovak language in town books in Slovakia and that’s why it has a great importance for the history of our nation. The act known as Privileges for the Žilina Slovaks (Privilegium pro Slavis), issued by the King Louis I in 1381, is of a great importance for our nation. By this act, during his stay in Žilina in May 1381, the King solved social, economic and especially national problems and disputes between Žilina Slovaks and Germans, resulting from the German efforts not to accept Slovak people as members of the town council. The King motivated his decision on equal representation of Slovaks and Germans in the town council by saying that Slovaks had had that right since long ago, that means since the town establishment, and that they constituted a majority in the town and its surroundings. The late 14th and the early 15th century were a period of the town development. The town belonged to the King. It had its own administration and court authorities as well as the right to vote a vicar. In 1397, the town was freed from paying the frontier customs duties, which sustained the trade with foreign countries, especially the drapery trade. In 1405, Žilina was ordered to build up ramparts. However, at the turn of the 15th and 16th century, the town stopped to be a royal property and it became the property of the Manor of Strečno as a landowner town. The town preserved its town rights, even widening them in economic sphere. Thus, the town obtained the right to organize six fairs and markets. The second half of the 16th century and the 17th century became a period of the town prime and prosperity. Since 1665 till 1717, a printing office of the Dadan family published various books there. One of the important evente was a synod of evangelical church in 1610, laying the foundations of the evangelical church organisation on the territory of the current Slovakia. 

After the fire in 1521, the architecture of the square changed, getting a renaissance character. The activities of Jesuits since 1685 and Franciscans since 1704 had great importance for development of culture, education and clerical sphere. During the first half of the 18th century, they built the buildings of their monasteries and churches there.

Although Žilina was the centre of north-western Slovakia in the middle of the 19th century, the further development hereof was not possible. Moreover, a part of the town was destructed as a result of big fires in 1848 and 1868. A development of industry was an imperative condition for further development of the town. With a construction of railways - the Košice-Bohumín Railway in 1872 and the Považská railway in 1883 - Žilina became a transport junction. There was sufficiency of cheap labour force, raw materials - wood, wool, water sources, etc. After the liberalization of Hungarian laws in 1848, the Jews moved into the town, bringing a big capital, and developed the trade and banking there. The biggest industrial enterprise in Žilina - the drape-producing factory Slovena - started with a production of fabrics and textiles in 1891 as an affiliate of a cloth factory in Brno owned by Karl Low. The prosperity of this biggest Hungarian textile factory with the best machinery equipment was in the early 20th century expressed not only in the number of employees - more than 1,700 - but also in the export of textiles to the whole Europe, Asia and America. The chemical factory - then called Hungária - was established in 1892 and was one of the biggest Hungarian chemical factories. Another important factory was that one dealing with the processing of cellulose, which started the production in 1905 and employed 700 people.

A development of industry, banking, trade and services was also reflected in demographic development. While in the middle of the 19th century the town had only 2,326 citizens, in 1900 it was already 5,633 citizens and in 1911 the town reached the number of 10 000 citizens. The national and social structure hereof changed as well. People from other parts of Hungary and from other countries came to the purely Slovak town. In 1919, there were 11 998 Žilina citizens, of which 6 % declared to be of the Hungarian nation and 5 % of the German (Jews) nation. 10,313 citizens of Žilina declared to be of the Slovak nation. At the turn of the years 1918 / 1919, Žilina was the seat of the Ministry with Full Powers to Administrate the Territory of Slovakia (Ministerstvo s plnou mocou pre správu Slovenska), headed by Vavro Šrobár, which, in fact, was the first Slovak government.

On 6 October 1938, the Žilina Agreement on Autonomy of Slovakia was declared and signed in Catholic House (Katolícky dom). During the years 1941 - 1945, the town built several buildings, among which the Town Theatre became the town dominant. Despite the efforts of the town representatives, in 1942 the state built there a concentrative camp for Jews, subsequently transporting them to the Oswiecim concentration camp. On 29 and 30 August 1944, the soldiers of the Žilina garrison and the insurgents battled against the German garrison located in the building of girls´ secondary school (Gymnasium) at the Franciscans Church. On 30 August 1944, the Germans occupied the town. On 30 April 1945, the town was freed from German army by the 1st Czechoslovakian Army Corps.

Since 1945, our town experienced a complicated development. 0n 30 April 1945, the municipal national committee (mestský národný výbor) was established, which existed till 1990. Then, the municipal office was established, headed by an elected Mayor. Since 1419 till 2008, there were totally 189 head representatives of the town - reeves and mayors. Actually, Ivan Harman is the Mayor of the town.

After 1945, the town has developed especially due to development of industries. While in 1940 there were only 18 813 town citizens, in 1980 it was already 83 016 citizens. Also after the detachment of six villages from the town in 1991, the town still has more than 86,000 citizens, living in 19 town quarters. The houses are constructed mainly at the residential areas of Hliny, Vlčince, Solinky and Hájik. Since 1960, there is a seat of the College of Transport, the current University of Žilina.

After 1990, the transformation of all aspects of our lives began. The town renewal has been initiated, especially of its historic centre, as well as the constructions of new buildings and engineering networks. New big shopping centres were built up. However, the new construction has also brought some negative aspects into the town urbanism. In 1995, the trolley-bus transportation was built. A construction of the dam was completed. In 2006, the car producer Kia Motors established the factory near by the town. Democratic changes expressed themselves also in clerical sphere. The churches at the residential areas Vlčince, Solinky and Hájik were constructed, a freedom of religion was renewed, various associations and groups as well as the galleries were founded, etc. In 1996, the town became the seat of the region and achieved the same position as other important towns. Žilina, with its historical development, traditions as well as its present character, belongs among the most important towns in Slovakia. 

script: Peter Štánsky
photos: archív, PhDr. Marián Mrva