London

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and the center of commerce, administration and culture. It is situated at the mouth of the Thames. It is the 9^th largest city in the world with the population of about 9 mil people (with suburbs).

London was founded by the Celts as a fortified place called Llyn-din, then it became a Roman settlement named Londinium. Since the time of Edward the Confessor London been the capital of Britain ( 1042 ).

The city was afflicted with two great tragedies in the 17^th century – the Great Plague and the Great Fire in 1666.

World War II also brought tremendous destruction to London.

Before the end of the 19^th century London consisted of the City of London, the City of Westminster and some villages, such as Paddington, Kensington etc. In 1963 some more villages were joined and the whole area was renamed Greater London consisting of 32 boroughs and the City. The historical part of London is known as Central London, the most important parts of which are the City, the West End and the East End.

There are lots of places to see in London. You can see them by walking or by various means of transport, e.g. by famous red double-deckers or by the tube which is the oldest underground in the world.

There are also several railway stations there, the most important of which is Victoria Station, Waterloo Station, Paddington Station, etc. There are two large airports in London-Heathrow and Gatwick.

The City of London is the historical centre of London and the centre of British banking and commerce. There is the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange. St.Paul´s Cathedral was built during the Norman times, but burnt down in 1666. The cathedral that replaced it, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, England’s greatest architect, and completed in 1710. The cathedral is known for its Whispering Gallery : standing on this Gallery you can clearly hear what is whispered on the opposite side 107ft far from you. In the crypt of the cathedral Lord Nelson and Duke of Wellington are buried. London Bridge, build in 1209, was the only bridge across the Thames until the half of the 18^th century. It was demolished in 1968 to make way for a new bridge that was completed in 1973.

Tower Bridge is another famous London bridge. It’s about 100 years old. It can be drawn up to allow large ships to get to the Pool, the oldest part of London Port.

The Tower of London was built in the 11^th century by William the Conqueror as a demonstration of Norman power over England. At first it was a royal palace, then the state prison, the royal zoo and nowadays it’s a museum. In the White Tower, the oldest part of the fortress, there is a collection of armour and weapons, while the Wakefield Tower contains a strongly guarded room where the Crown Jewels are kept and displayed. The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen or Beefeaters in Tudor uniforms.

On the other side of the Thames there is the West End. Its main sights are the Houses of Parliament, built in the 19^th century in the Gothic style on the site of the ancient Palace of Westminster. On the Clock Tower there is the famous “Big Ben”.

Westminster Abbey, situated opposite the Houses of Parliament, was founded by Edward the Confessor, but rebuilt several times. All English monarchs since William the Conqueror have been crowned and buried there. It’s also the scene of royal weddings. England’s greatest statesmen, artist, poets are buried in the Poet’s Corner.

Whitehall, a street of government offices, leads us to 10, Downing Street, the seat of the Prime Minister’s Office, and to Trafalgar Square, with the Memorial to Lord Nelson and the National Gallery, which houses paintings by nearly all great European artist of the past and a large collection of British paintings and sculptures.

Piccadilly Circus is one of the busiest traffic points in London. In its centre there is a statue of Eros.

The British Museum is the largest museum in the world. It houses the largest collection of all kinds of animals and minerals, a collection of fine and applied arts of all countries and periods. It also preserves and displays the most interesting state documents and manuscripts.

Buckingham Palace is the royal residence since the reign of Queen Victoria. One of the biggest London’s parades is Changing the Guards here.

London can be proud of its parks. The five largest of them are : St.James´s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Regent’s Park which lies apart. The most famous of them is probably Hyde Park because of its Speaker’s Corner near Marble Arch and the Serpentine-popular boating and swimming place.

Near Regent’s Park is the Planetarium and Madame Tussaud´s exhibition of wax effigies of famous people.