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SOLIGORSK
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Soligorsk So I am going to speak about my native town Soligorsk. Though Soligorsk cant boast spectacular architecture, historical monuments or famous tourist attractions Im fond of this place, where I know practically every nook and cranny. I was born here and have lived here all my life, my nearest and dearest friends live here and Im always eager to show strangers around and describe the main points of interest. The town of Soligorsk is a modern industrial centre of Belarus, which is situated 130 km to the south of Minsk it is known as a town of Belarusian miners, chemists and builders. It is also well known as a big producer of mineral fertilizers. The history of Soligorsk roots back to the year 1949 when Starobin potash ore deposits were discovered here. But the town itself was founded only in 1958. The potash fertilizers produced in Belaruskali combine are exported to many countries. They say a great part of the Republics budget is composed of the currency got by Belaruskali. They joke Belaruskali is the hen laying gold eggs for the country. There is also a legend explaining how this area became so rich in natural resources. I think that, like most legends, it is a very romantic one. Many centuries ago, a monster was living in this area. He was extremely greedy. Instead of a heart, he had a stone. One day, the people decided to chase him away. As the monster couldn't stand all that anger, he went underground taking along with him all the people's most precious possessions and treasures. Then, many years later, the monster simply disappeared without leaving a trace. It is a beautiful legend isnt it? There are a lot of other enterprises in Soligorsk. The products of the Soligorsk knitted-goods factory, fur-clothes factory, are well-known in our republic and abroad. Besides, there is a ferro-concrete structures plant, a mechanical bakery, a milk plant and some others. Soligorsk is a young town with the population more than 100000 people. Consequently it is quite compact in size, so you can get from one end of the town to the other in no time. Soligorsk is built in picturesque surroundings.( The picturesque land on which our town stands makes a deep impression on everyone and gives inspiration for all those romantic admires of nature.) On the one side of the town an artificial lake is situated, on the other side there is big woodland. One and a half kilometers away from the town you can find three non-freezing springs. The forest and the river are favourite places for rest and relaxation and spending free time among the Soligorsk people in all seasons. Here you can enjoy the beauty of our pine forest, admire the wonderful view of our artificial lake but unfortunately it is unfit for bathing due to heavy pollution. We have several educational institutions in Soligorsk; secondary schools , 2 gymnasiums2 technical school, a teacher training college, a college of mining and chemisty. Children and teenagers attend childrens school of art, music school, childrens school of design, a nature-study club, the centre of childrens creation. In my view, the cultural life of Soligorsk isnt varied enough. It is a pity but there arent any theatres and picture galleries. We have only one cinema, but it seems to lose its popularity, getting reasonable profits only when blockbusters are on. There are also several libraries for grown-ups and children, restaurants and cafes. Not long ago an Ice hall was built. So now the citizens of Soligorsk can enjoy skating which is a good way to keep fit and have fun, many children and teenagers go in for hockey, visit hockey matches to support our town hockey team. More over many popular singers visit Soligorsk when they are on tour and hold their performances in the Ice Hall. The Palace o Culture is the main place for official meetings , conferences and music concerts. In the centre of the town you can find Lenin Square. Here we can see the monument to Lenin, and on the other side of the square there is the Town Soviet and the Palace of Culture. Not far from there we can see the building of a new hotel, the central department store, the cinema ZorkaVenera and the 22-storied building of the firm Belaruskali office. As a matter of fact a lot of attention is paid to cleanness and order. Soligorsk is considered to be one of the cleanest and most beautiful towns in Belarus. The streets are green, there are a lot of trees and flowers in them. In addition to polyclinics and hospitals our town is proud to have a unique speleology hospital for treating the patients with bronchial asthma and allergic conditions. This unique construction is situated at a depth of 264m. Its common knowledge that salt kills microbes. People with respiratory problems go to this place and spend there about 12 hours . There people can rest, do everything they want, of course according to the rules .For example, they are not allowed to smoke as its very dangerous .They breathe the air which is so clean that it kills all the microbes. The air is being cleaned while it is going through the salt drifts, the length of which is about 3 km. The construction is very unique there is no building like this in Belarus. Even foreigners are using these unique facilities. It is a pity Soligorsk has a lot of problems that are to be solved. The most urgent ones are unemployment, street crime, drug addicts. But the most burning problem is probably the ecological situation in the town. Unfortunately, the numerous factories scatted all over the town are of great harm to the environment, as they pollute our land, air and water. The mountains of potash fertilizers waste are situated near the town and the salty dust of the waste stocks is carried out by the wind for a long distance, it pollutes the soil and the springs of our region, worsening the ecological situation of Soligorsk and its suburbs. Needless to say, the health and the lives of our people are put in a dangerous position. Of course some measures are being taken in order to correct the situation. It is decided to build up a new system of water purification, to leave the potash ores waste in mines. I hope that all the negative problems of our town will be solved in the nearest future and the town of Soligorsk will be the most pleasant place to live in and to visit, because as they say there is no place like home.
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