| Bytča | |
| Town | |
| Country | Slovakia |
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| Region | Žilina |
| District | Bytča |
| Tourism region | Horné Považie |
| River | Váh |
| Elevation | 308 m (1,010 ft) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 43.168 km2 (16.667 sq mi) |
| Population | 11,595 (31 December 2006) |
| Density | 269 / km2 (697 / sq mi) |
| First mentioned | 1234 |
| Mayor | Peter Korec |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 014 01 |
| Area code | +421-41 |
| Car plate | BY |
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Location of Bytča in Slovakia
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Location of Bytča in the Žilina Region
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| Wikimedia Commons: Bytča | |
| Statistics: MOŠ/MIS | |
| Website: www.bytca.sk | |
Bytča (Hungarian: Nagybiccse) is a town in northwestern Slovakia. It is located at the Váh river near the cities of Žilina and Považská Bystrica. It belongs to Upper Váh region of tourism.
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The town arose in 1946 by a merger of the settlements Malá Bytča (including Beňov and Mikšová), Veľká Bytča and Hliník nad Váhom. The first written reference to the town's main part Veľká Bytča dates from 1234 as terra Bycha.[1] The settlement got its town charter in 1378. It was the seat of a feudal dominion and later a town with many craftsmen. In Hungarian, it was known as Biccse.
The town features a famous castle built as a water castle in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 16th century in Renaissance style. The town also houses the Wedding Palace from 1601, which is the only building of this kind in Slovakia, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical bourgeoisie houses, an archive, and a museum (in the Wedding Palace).
According to the 2001 census, the town had 11,150 inhabitants. 98.27% of inhabitants were Slovaks and 0.58% Czechs.[2] The religious make-up was 90.87% Roman Catholics, 4.35% people with no religious affiliation and 1.51% Lutherans.[2]
Today, the town is home to machine (Kinex), textile, wood processing (sports equipment), and food (brewery) industries.
Boroughs (year of merge in brackets):
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