Rajec
Town
SNP Square, Rajec
Coat of arms
Rajec Location of Rajec in Slovakia
Coordinates: 49°05′13″N 18°37′58″E / 49.08694°N 18.63278°E / 49.08694; 18.63278
Country	Slovakia
Region	Žilina
District	Žilina
First mentioned	1193
Government
• Mayor	Milan Lipka
Area [1]
• Total	31.46 km2 (12.15 sq mi)
	(2022)
Elevation	448[2] m (1,470[2] ft)
Population  (2022)[3]
• Total	5,818
• Density	180/km2 (480/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	015 01[2]
Area code	+421 41[2]
Car plate	ZA
Website	www.rajec.sk

Rajec (Hungarian: Rajec; German: Rajetz) is a town in the Žilina District, Žilina Region in northern Slovakia.

Etymology

Rajec, Rajčianka, Rajčanka are derived from Proto-Slavic appelative *rajь – a wet, muddy place (modern Slovak raj – a paradise, "a place with rich vegetation").^[4]

History

The first written record about Rajec was in 1193 as Raich, in a document issued by King Béla III. The first mention as a town comes from 1397.

Geography

Rajec lies at an altitude of 452 metres (1,483 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 31.459 square kilometres (12.1 sq mi).^[5] It is situated between Strážovské vrchy and Malá Fatra mountains, in the Rajčanka river valley, around 20 km (12 mi) south-south-west of Žilina.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the town had 6,074 inhabitants. 98.86% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 0.68% Czechs.^[5] The religious make-up was 92.79% Roman Catholics, 3.42% people with no religious affiliation and 1.89% Lutherans.^[5]

Sightseeings

• Town Hall, renaissance one-floor building available from all sides. Open arcades served like market. On the second floor, there were administrative rooms of town council. After the newest reconstruction in 1992, the arcades are full glassed and the town hall serve as wedding, concert and exhibition room. (3D Model)
• Town museum, former brewery residence

Twin towns — sister cities

Rajec is twinned with:^[6]

• Czechowice-Dziedzice, Poland
• Kęty, Poland
• Krnov, Czech Republic
• Rýmařov, Czech Republic