Hrodna

In Belarusian Classical Orthography (Taraškievica), the city is named as Горадня (Horadnia). In Latin, it was known as Grodna (-ae), in Polish as Grodno, in Lithuanian as Gardinas, in Latvian as Grodņa, in German as Garten, and in Yiddish as גראָדנע (Grodne).

Before arrival of the East Slavs to the Grodno Region in the 10th–11th centuries, the area was inhabited by Baltic tribe Yotvingians, who were heavily Lithuanized in the 5th-7th centuries already and especially during the formation of the State of Lithuania in the 13th century, and subsequently for a long time Grodno and its area was a part of the Ethnographic Lithuania (e.g. even in the 19th century the Lithuanian-inhabited areas were still nearby the present-day suburbs of Grodno city). Linguistic findings refute the theses of Lithuanian scholars—the name of Grodno, claims Leszek Bednarczuk, 'cannot be Baltic;' the city was located beyond the Lithuanian linguistic border. The etymology of the city's name is considered to be Slavic, derived from the Ruthenian horod 'fortress'. …

The following rivers flow through the city: the Neman River, the Lasosna River and the Haradničanka River with its branch the Yurysdyka River. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfb" (Warm Summer Continental Climate).

The city has one of the largest concentrations of Roman Catholics in Belarus. It is also a centre of Polish culture, with a significant number of Poles living in Belarus residing in the city and its surroundings. The Eastern Orthodox population is also widely present. The city's Catholic and Orthodox churches are important architectural treasures. The city houses the Grodno State Medical University where many students from different parts of Belarus acquire academic degrees, as do a number of foreign students. Other higher educational establishments are Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno (the largest education centre in Grodno Province) and Grodno State Agrarian University. To support the Polish community, a Polish school was built in 1995, where all subjects are taught in Polish and students are able to pass exams to get accepted into Polish universities.