| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Zhodzina | |
| Other Name: | Zhodino |
| Native Name: | |
| Flag Size: | 150 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Belarus |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Minsk Region |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Dimitri Zablotsky[1] |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1963 |
| Area Total Km2: | 21.97 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 63,744 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | MSK |
| Utc Offset: | +3 |
| Pushpin Map: | Belarus |
| Coordinates: | 54.1°N 28.35°W |
| Elevation M: | 250 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 222160, 222163 |
| Area Code: | +375 1775 |
| Blank Name: | License plate |
| Blank Info: | 5 |
Zhodzina or Zhodino (Belarusian: Жодзіна|Žodzina, in Belarusian pronounced as /ˈʐodzʲina/; Russian: Жодино, pronounced as /ru/; Polish: Żodzino) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus, located north-east of Minsk. The city covers an area of . 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 50km (30miles) north-east of Minsk and 15km (09miles) 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.
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 40km (30miles) from Zhodzina.
The local football club is the Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino, playing in the Belarusian Premier League. Its home ground is the Torpedo Stadium.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Belarus.
Zhodzina is twinned with:[8]
Dalanzadgad, Mongolia
Hîncești, Moldova
Horishni Plavni, Ukraine
Kajaran, Armenia
Mytishchi, Russia Neryungrinsky District, Russia
Olmaliq, Uzbekistan Oryol, Russia Plastovsky District, Russia
Považská Bystrica, Slovakia
Rustavi, Georgia
Ukmergė, Lithuania Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Russia Zheleznogorsk, Russia