Rajec

For the village in Slovenia, see Rajec, Brežice.

For the municipality and village in the Czech Republic, see Rájec.

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

Rajec
Municipality
SNP Square, Rajec
Flag Coat of arms
Rajec Location of Rajec in the Žilina Region Show map of Žilina Region Rajec Location of Rajec in Slovakia Show map of Slovakia
Coordinates: 49.09°N 18.63°E / 49.09; 18.63
Country	Slovakia
Region	Žilina Region
District	Žilina District
First mentioned	1193
Government
• Mayor	Milan Hanus
Area [1]
• Total	31.46 km2 (12.15 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	448 m (1,470 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	5,797
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	150 1[2]
Area code	+421 41[2]
Car plate	ZA
Website	www.rajec.sk

Etymology

Rajec, Rajčianka, Rajčanka are derived from Proto-Slavic appellative *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 of the town comes from 1397.

Geography

The municipality lies at an altitude of 448 metres (1,470 ft)^[2] and covers an area of 31.45 km² (12.14 sq mi) (2024).^[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.

Population

Population statistic (10 years)^[6]

Year	1994	2004	2014	2024
Count	6404	6074	5881	5703
Difference		−5.15%	−3.17%	−3.02%

Population statistic^[6]

Year	2023	2024
Count	5777	5703
Difference		−1.28%

It has a population of 5703 people (31 December 2024).^[7]

Ethnicity

Census 2021 (1+ %)^[8][9]

Ethnicity	Number	Fraction
Slovak	5567	94.4%
Not found out	305	5.17%
Total	5897

In year 2021 was 5897 people by ethnicity 5567 as Slovak, 305 as Not found out, 37 as Czech, 17 as Other, 15 as Romani, 7 as Moravian, 7 as Hungarian, 4 as Chinese, 3 as Italian, 3 as Polish, 3 as German, 3 as Croatian, 1 as Jewish, 1 as Vietnamese, 1 as Ukrainian, 1 as Greek and 1 as English.

Note on population

The difference between the population numbers above and in the census (here and below) is that the population numbers above are mostly made up of permanent residents, etc.; and the census should indicate the place where people actually mainly live. For example, a student is a citizen of a village because he has permanent residence there (he lived there as a child and has parents), but most of the time he studies at a university in the city.

Religion

Census 2021 (1+ %)^[10]

Religion	Number	Fraction
Roman Catholic Church	4712	79.91%
None	602	10.21%
Not found out	369	6.26%
Evangelical Church	108	1.83%
Total	5897

In year 2021 was 5897 people by religion 4712 from Roman Catholic Church, 602 from None, 369 from Not found out, 108 from Evangelical Church, 30 from Ad hoc movements, 18 from Greek Catholic Church, 15 from Other, 7 from Christian Congregations in Slovakia, 6 from Other and not ascertained christian church, 5 from Calvinist Church, 5 from Jehovah's Witnesses, 5 from Buddhism, 4 from Paganism and natural spirituality, 4 from Islam, 2 from Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1 from Old Catholic Church, 1 from Eastern Orthodox Church, 1 from Czechoslovak Hussite Church, 1 from Bahá'i Community and 1 from Apostolic Church.

According to the 2001 census, the town had 6,074 inhabitants. 98.86% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 0.68% were Czechs.^[11] The religious make-up was 92.79% Roman Catholics, 3.42% people with no religious affiliation, and 1.89% Lutherans.^[11]

Sightseeings

• Town Hall, a Renaissance one-floor building available from all sides. Open arcades served as a market. On the second floor, there were administrative rooms of the 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

Culture

The Rajec Marathon, an annual road race, was established in the town in 1984.^[12]

Twin towns — sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia

Rajec is twinned with:^[13]

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