Zhodzina

Zhodzina or Zhodino (Жодзіна, ; Жодино, ; Żodzino) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus, located 50 km north-east of Minsk. The city covers an area of 19 km2. In 2021, its population was 65,451. As of 2024, it has a population of 63,744.

History
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.

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

Education
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
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
Zhodzina is served by the M1 highway, part of the European route E30, an international highway that links Berlin and Warsaw to Moscow. It has two railway stations (Zhodzina and the stop of Zhodzina Yuzhny ) 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 from Zhodzina.

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

Notable people

 * Roman Golovchenko (b. 1973), prime minister
 * Mikalay Kashewski (b. 1980), footballer
 * Nastassia Novikava (b. 1981), weightlifter
 * Yury Shumanski (b. 1980), retired Belarusian professional footballer

International relations
Zhodzina is twinned with:


 * 🇲🇳 Dalanzadgad, Mongolia
 * 🇲🇩 Hîncești, Moldova
 * 🇺🇦 Horishni Plavni, Ukraine
 * 🇦🇲 Kajaran, Armenia
 * 🇷🇺 Mytishchi, Russia
 * 🇷🇺 Neryungrinsky District, Russia
 * 🇺🇿 Olmaliq, Uzbekistan
 * 🇷🇺 Oryol, Russia
 * 🇧🇬 Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
 * 🇷🇺 Plastovsky District, Russia
 * 🇸🇰 Považská Bystrica, Slovakia
 * Rustavi, Georgia
 * 🇱🇹 Ukmergė, Lithuania
 * 🇷🇺 Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Russia
 * 🇷🇺 Zheleznogorsk, Russia