Vitebsk, situated in 270 km (169 miles) from Minsk, is the capital of Vitebsk region, Belarus, and has a population of 350,000. It is a river port and large railroad junction in an agricultural district of the country.
Vitebsk is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. An exact date of its foundation is not known. It dates from the 11th century, A.D. Vitebsk was built as a fortress on the high bank of the Western Dvina river where the Vitsba and the Luches rivers flow into it.
Vitebsk was the capital of a Russian principality that came under Lithuanian rule in the 14th century. It passed to Russia again in 1772.
Today Vitebsk is a large industrial city in Belarus. Manufactures include machine tools, electrical instruments, processed food, textiles, and building materials. It's a big educational center as well.
Among interesting facts about Vitebsk is this one: the city is the birthplace of the painter Marc Chagall. There is a cultural center named after him, and his family house has been turned into a museum.
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