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Gomel

Also known as Homyel, Homel, Homyel', Gomel', Homl, Gomelis, Homlye, Homiel

Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the second-largest city in Belarus, with 501,193 inhabitants.

AI overview

Gomel is the second-largest city in Belarus, located in the southeastern part of the country with a population of over 501,000 people as of 2025. It serves as the administrative center for both Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively independent from the district itself.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Settlement.name: Gomel
Settlement.other_name: Homyel
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.image_flag: Flag of Gomel.svg
Settlement.image_shield: Coat of Arms of Homiel, Belarus.svg
Settlement.flag_size: 150
Settlement.shield_size: 75
Settlement.mapsize: 230px
Settlement.map_caption: Location of Gomel in Belarus
Settlement.pushpin_map: Belarus#Europe
Settlement.pushpin_relief: 1
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Region
Settlement.subdivision_name: Belarus
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Gomel Region
Settlement.leader_title: Chairman
Settlement.leader_name: Petr Kirichenko
Settlement.established_title: First mentioned

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official name: Гомель
Population: 499853
Area: 135
Elevation: 138
Official website: president.gov.by/en/belarus/regions/gomel
Image: DJI 0137 Edit (51152843462).jpg
Dialing code: +375 232
Licence plate code: 3

Show 8 more facts

Commons category: Gomel
postal code: 247000–247999
inception: 1142-00-00
native label: Гомель
time of earliest written record: 1142-00-00
romanization of Belarusian (2007 system): Homieĺ
P8168: Maria Treben
Belarus Globe URL: globustut.by/gomel/index.htm

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

~23 min read

Article

24 sections

Contents

Etymology
History
Kievan Rus'
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Russian Empire
Civil war and early Soviet era
World War II
Post-war period
Chernobyl disaster
Recent history
Population
Jewish community
Geography
Climate
Transportation
Sports
Education
Culture
Notable residents
Twin towns – sister cities
Former twin towns
Notes
References
External links

==Etymology== There are at least six narratives of the origin of the city's name. The most plausible is that the name is derived from the name of the stream Homeyuk, which flowed into the river Sozh near the foot of the hill where the first settlement was founded. Names of other Belarusian cities are formed along these lines: for example, Polotsk from the river Palata, and Vitebsk from the river Vitsba.