Žalec
Town in Styria, Slovenia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Žalec (pronounced [ˈʒàːləts] ⓘ; German: Sachsenfeld[2]) is a town in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žalec. It lies in the valley of the lower course of the Savinja River west of Celje. The primary economic activity of the region is growing hops, which is reflected by the city's coat-of-arms. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region.[3]
Žalec | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) From top, left to right: St. Nicholas' Church, Former Presbytery, Zotel Forge, Defense Tower, Pikl House | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Žalec Location in Slovenia | |
| Coordinates: 46°15′3.59″N 15°9′50.18″E | |
| Country |  Slovenia |
| Traditional region | Styria |
| Statistical region | Savinja |
| Municipality | Žalec |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.0 km2 (1.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 255.3 m (838 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 4,878 |
| Vehicle registration | CE |
| [1] | |
Name
Žalec was attested in written sources as Saxenburc and Sachsenwelde in 1182 (and as Saschenvelde in 1232 and Sachsenfelde in 1256). The medieval German names are based on folk etymology from the Slovene name, probably the genitive of the plural form *Žalci. This in turn was based on the personal name *Zal and would mean 'descendants of Žal'.[4] In modern German the settlement was known as Sachsenfeld.[2][5]
History
In 2022, torrential rains caused a landslide near an apartment building, which firefighters responded to.[6]
Tourist attractions
Church
The parish church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje. It was built between 1903 and 1906 on the site of a 16th-century church. The 16th-century building had a walled enclosure to protect the locals against Ottoman raids. A round tower from this enclosure still stands next to the church.[8]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1,279 | — |
| 1953 | 1,534 | +19.9% |
| 1961 | 1,874 | +22.2% |
| 1971 | 2,762 | +47.4% |
| 1981 | 4,561 | +65.1% |
| 1991 | 5,381 | +18.0% |
| 2002 | 4,919 | −8.6% |
| 2011 | 4,943 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 4,983 | +0.8% |
| Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions. | ||
