History of Gomel

The history of Gomel dates back to the period when the left banks of the river Schoz was inhabited by the natives like Radimichi, Severyane, Krivichi and Dregovichi. Apart from collecting honey and farming, these tribes were known for their warrior skills. Although the actual date of the emergence of Gomel has not be predicted till date, it is officially considered to have been established in 1142 . One can trace references about the city in the chronicles from the early 12th century.

In the year 1854 Gomel integrated with the neighboring town of Bielica, which is presently, one of the four important administrative divisions of the city. The Gomel history of culture was subjected to a change of course after the advent of Christianity, which established a perennial faith for the religion in the land of the natives, which was characterized by pagan culture.

With the dawn of seventeenth century, Gomel was introduced to the realm of industry and business. The Gomel History was further paved by the different cultural delineations brought in by the settlers during this period. Some of the settler communities included the Dobrush, Larkovichi, Romanovichi, Danilovichi, Lagunovichi, Demyankovichi, Pribytkovichi,Teremkovichi, Dyatlovichi, Nosovichi, Ust'e, Yurkovichi, Ozarichi, Rylovichi, Sevryuki. Some of the other communities to settle in Gomel were the Bobovichi, Gubichi, Teleshi, Boduny,Terenichi, Morozovichi, Novoselki, Pereyevichi, Koshelevo, Uvarovichi and Volotovo.

During the 19th century, the Gomel population was predominated by the Jewish, who comprised 50% of the total population. While some of the Jews escaped the city after world War II, some were left back to face the dredges of the Nazi holocaust.