1408 · 1478 Tailors, then shoemakersNajprv krajčíri, potom obuvníci

Guilds are the measure of whether a market town is really a market town, and Rajec's start early: the tailors are recorded from 1408 and the shoemakers from 1478. A guild — in Slovak a cech — set the standard of the work, trained the apprentices, limited who was allowed to practise the trade at all, and looked after its members' widows. It was closed and often unfair. It also meant a small town in a side valley could make goods worth carrying to other people's markets, which is exactly what Rajec went on doing for four hundred years.Cechy sú mierou toho, či bolo mestečko naozaj mestečkom, a v Rajci sa začínajú skoro: krajčíri sa spomínajú od roku 1408, obuvníci od roku 1478. Cech určoval kvalitu práce, vychovával učňov, obmedzoval, kto vôbec smie remeslo vykonávať, a staral sa o vdovy po svojich členoch. Bol uzavretý a často nespravodlivý. Zároveň však znamenal, že malé mesto v bočnej doline vedelo vyrobiť tovar, ktorý sa oplatilo voziť na cudzie trhy — a presne to Rajec robil ďalšie štyri storočia.