The Belarusian city of Vitebsk, one of the largest in the country, has a rich history. Founded in ancient times, it served as a fortress and home to many people for many centuries. In addition, Vitebsk had an important influence on the unification of the Slavic tribes, becoming for them the center of the economy, culture and military power of the entire region.
More people live in this city than in all of Iceland. Vitebsk was founded in the 10th century. In the whole of Belarus only Polotsk is older. But with the age of more than a thousand years, Vitebsk is still older than, for example, Moscow. The Annunciation Church in Vitebsk is a truly ancient temple. It was built in the 12th century, moreover, it was erected by Byzantine architects, who were brought here specifically by the princes.
The city received its name in honor of the Vitba river. It was through Vitebsk that the famous path “from the Varangians to the Greeks” lay. During the Russian Empire, trams appeared in Vitebsk earlier than in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This city is the very ancient art school of Belarus, founded in the late 19th century. The oldest cinema in the whole country, which first opened its doors to visitors in 1905, is also located in Vitebsk. At the end of the 19th century, according to the census results, just over half of the population of Vitebsk were Jews.
The city is inhabited by followers of 16 different religions, but about 80% of the population is Orthodox. Once in Vitebsk a frost of -38.9 degrees and a heat of +37.8 were recorded. Among all the cities of Belarus Vitebsk ranks 4th in terms of population.
