ZhodzinaorZhodino (Belarusian: Жодзіна, romanized: Žodzina,[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]
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]
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.
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.
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.