Gomel

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Gomel (Belarusian/Russian: Го́мель; also transliterated Homieĺ based on the Belarusian pronunciation) is the second largest city in Belarus (around 500 000 inhabitants), and is the capital of Gomel Oblast. Gomel is second largest city in Belarus and one of the main educational centers of country. Modern history of Gomel is highly oriented about the Chernobyl tragedy, since city was on major radiation blow after the accident, and most of the citizens still remember it as a turning point in their lives. City history is strongly connected with the development of Slavic culture in this region, as it was founded at the end of the 10th century on the lands of the Eastern Slavic tribal union of Radimichs and was part of Kievan Rus, later Great Duchy of Lithuania and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Since it is positioned on the strategic way from the North toward the Black sea, Gomel was often raided by armies from east and west, but despite the raids city gain significant cultural influence from Czarist Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Western Europe, since it was on the important trade route to the Black sea.