Žalec is a town in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žalec. It lies in the valley of the lower course of the Savinja River west of Celje. The primary economic activity of the region is growing hops, which is reflected by the city’s coat-of-arms. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region.

Country	Slovenia
Government
• Mayor	Janko Kos
Area
• Total	117.1 km  (45.2 sq mi)
Population (2002)
• Total	20,335
• Density	170/km (450/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02 (CEST)

Žalec was attested in written sources as Saxenburc and Sachsenwelde in 1182 (and as Saschenvelde in 1232 and Sachsenfelde in 1256). The medieval German names are based on folk etymology from the Slovene name, probably the genitive of the plural form *Žalci. This in turn was based on the personal name *Zal and would mean ‘descendants of Žal’. In modern German the settlement was known as Sachsenfeld.

Church

The parish church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje. It was built between 1903 and 1906 on the site of a 16th-century church. The 16th-century building had a walled enclosure to protect the locals against Ottoman raids. A round tower from this enclosure still stands next to the church.

Contacts

Župan/Mayoe: Janko Kos, univ. dipl. org. spec.
Ulica Savinjske čete 5
3310 Žalec

Politična lista: SOCIALNI DEMOKRATI
Telefon: +386 3 713 64 20
Faks: +386 3 713 64 21
E-pošta: janko.kos@zalec.si

OBČINSKA UPRAVA
Ulica Savinjske čete 5, 3310 Žalec
Tel: 03 71 36 465
Fax: 03 71 36 464
glavna.pisarna@zalec.si
Davčna št.: 62546708
Matična št.: 5881544

Uradne ure
Uradne ure sprejemne pisarne:

Ponedeljek: 8.00–15.00
Torek: 8.00–15.00
Sreda: 8.00–17.00
Četrtek: 8.00–15.00
Petek: 8.00–13.00

Direktor občinske uprave
Tanja Razboršek Rehar, sekretar
odločanje v upravnih zadevah na prvi stopnji
03 71 36 320