Zhodzina or Zhodino (Belarusian: Жодзіна, romanizedŽodzina,[a] IPA: [ˈʐodzʲina]; Russian: Жодино, IPA: [ˈʐodʲɪnə]; Polish: Żodzino) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus, located 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-east of Minsk. The city covers an area of 19 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi). In 2021, its population was 65,451.[3] As of 2024, it has a population of 63,744.[2]

Zhodzina
Жодзіна (Belarusian)
Жодино (Russian)
Zhodino
A truck mounted outside of the BelAZ factory
A truck mounted outside of the BelAZ factory
Flag of Zhodzina
Coat of arms of Zhodzina
Zhodzina is located in Belarus
Zhodzina
Zhodzina
Location of Zhodzina in Belarus
Coordinates: 54°06′00″N 28°21′00″E / 54.10000°N 28.35000°E / 54.10000; 28.35000
CountryBelarus
RegionMinsk Region
Founded1963
Government
 • MayorDimitri Zablotsky[1]
Area
 • Total21.97 km2 (8.48 sq mi)
Elevation
250 m (820 ft)
Population
 (2024)[2]
 • Total63,744
 • Density2,900/km2 (7,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code
222160, 222163
Area code+375 1775
License plate5
WebsiteOfficial website

History

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The settlement is first mentioned in 1688, belonging to the Radziwiłł family. It has had city status since 1963.

On 13 August 2020, Zhodzina was the site of the first large-scale worker strike in Belarus, at the BelAZ automobile plant, in protest of the contested results of the 2020 Belarusian presidential elections.[4]

Geography

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The town, the most populous among the settlements in the surrounding Smalyavichy District, is situated 50 km (31 mi) north-east of Minsk and 15 km (9 mi) south-west of Barysaw. Zhodzina is divided by the Plisa River, and it has a small lake in its southern suburb.

Education

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There are nine schools, two high schools, one professional lyceum and Zhodzina Polytechnical College in the city. Currently, there are no higher educational institutions in the city.

Economy

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The BelAZ (The Belarusian Automobile Plant) is the largest employer in the city; it employs about 11,000 workers, one-sixth of the local population. Every third mining truck in the world is produced by BelAZ. The largest truck weighs 360 tonnes and can carry 450 tonnes of load. Another important factory is the clothing manufacturer SVITANAK, which produces children's and adults' clothes. Its products are exported to European countries.

Transport

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Zhodzina is served by the M1 highway, part of the European route E30, an international highway[5] that links Berlin and Warsaw to Moscow. It has two railway stations (Zhodzina and the stop of Zhodzina Yuzhny[6][7]) on the international line Minsk-Moscow; and its main station is served by some international trains as the Sibirjak Berlin-Novosibirsk. Minsk International Airport is 40 km (25 mi) from Zhodzina.

Sport

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Torpedo Stadium

The local football club is the Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino, playing in the Belarusian Premier League. Its home ground is the Torpedo Stadium.

Notable people

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International relations

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Zhodzina is twinned with:[8]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Fedotova, Viktoriya (2020-08-13). "Мэр города Жодино пообещал белорусам выйти на акцию протеста". VM.ru. Vechernyaya Moskva. Retrieved 2020-08-13. Мэр города Дмитрий Заблоцкий
  2. ^ a b "Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Zhodzina · Population".
  4. ^ Reevell, Patrick (2020-08-13). "Workers at major Belarus plants strike amid growing protests over election". ABCnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved 2020-08-13. Hundreds of workers at the large Belarus Auto Factory (BelAZ) in the town of Zhodino were filmed walking out of the plant, chanting 'Long live Belarus.'
  5. ^ partly under construction
  6. ^ Zhodzina South
  7. ^ "Map of Minsk suburban railways on www.parovoz.com" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2012-03-08.
  8. ^ "Города-партнеры". zhodino.minsk-region.by (in Russian). Zhodzina. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
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