London – sightseeing in the capital of Great Britain

London is the capital of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its part England. It lies on the river Thames and it is about 1 580 square kilometres large. There live about 7 million people and about 12 million in its conurbation. London is the seat of the Monarch, the Parliament and the Government. Industry is very important in London – food industries, chemical industry, clothing, printing, electricity industry, paper-making or car industries. London is financial, commercial and transport centre too and also an important centre of the gold, silver and platinum trade. The Prime Meridian of the World runs across Greenwich in the east of London. London is also centre of the Commonwealth of Nations which contains New Zealand, Canada, Australia and many countries in Africa or Asia.

London is very historical town and the city continued to grow in the middle age.But there were some disasters – there was in 1665 a plague epidemic and in 1666 the Great Fire of London. It was very big fire – it destroyed about four fifths of the city. During World War II was London bombed by Germany and it destroyed many buildings.

If you come to the London you will probably go by plane, train or bus. London has several airports – Heathrow – it is the largest or Gatwick. In London there is the oldest underground – it is since 1863 and there went steam locomotives and then electic locomotives. Its network is about 400 kilometres long. There is many railway-stations too – for example Victoria or Liverpool Street stations – the first was in 1836. If you want to travel through London you can use red Double-Deckers or black taxis too.

The London has several parts – The City is oldest part of the London and now it is financial district. The East End is a place  where many immigrants and working people live. In The West End there are many shops, theatres, parks etc.

The most important tourist attraction is The Tower of London. The building began in 11 century and it served till the 16 th century as a royal palace, a prison where many important personalities were arrested and executed, a royal mint and an observatory. Now there is a museum and you can see there weapons, Crown Jewels or the prison.

The London has many bridges – Westminster Bridge, Lonon Bridge or new Millenium Bridge, but the most famous is Tower Bridge. It is next to the Tower, it is from 19th century and it allows ships to pass the river – the bridge can open and then close.

The largest and best-known church is St. Paul´s Cathedral. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren in 18th century. The cathedral stands on the site of the previous cathedral which was damagedby the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is built in Barock style and it is the second largest church in the world after St. Peter´s in Rome. The church has about 100 metres high dome with the Whispering Gallery – you can hear words on one side whispered against the wall on the opposite side. There were many historical occassions – Sir Winston Churchill´s funeral service or wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. There are burried national heroes – Admiral Nelson or Sir Christopher Wren himself.

The Houses of Parliament are the political centre of the United Kingdom, it is the home of the British parliament. They were built in 1840 in Neo-Gothic style on the place of the Old Palace of Westminster which was destroyed by fire. The Houses of Parliament has two parts – House of Commons and House of Lords.The House of Lords is a gothic hall decorated in red coulour and there is the seat of Lord Chancellor who presides over the House. The House of Commons is decorated in green colour. It is presided over by the Speaker. Above the Parliament there is about 100 metres high clock tower which is called Big Ben. Big Ben is name of the bell named after Sir Benjamin Hall.

Across the Parliament Square we can go the the most important church in the country – it is Westminster Abbey. It is from 11th century and. You can see there the Coronation Chair from 1300 and there were crowned monarchs of Great Britain. There are burried many British kings and Queens – for example Elizabeth I, Henry VII, CharlesII or Scottish Queen Mary Stuart. In the Poet´s Corner are burried some important poets – Geoffrey Chaucer or Robert Browning and many poets has a monument there – William Shakespeare, John Milton, Walter Scott or Lord Byron.

Not far from the Houses of Parliament there is a Buckingham Palace. It is the home of the kings and queens of Great Britain since 1837, but it was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham. May tourists can see Changing the Guards outside the Buckingham Palace. The Royal family occupies the north wing of the Palace and the Royal Standard flown when the Queen is in residence. In front of the Buckingham Palace there is the Queen Victoria Monument.

London has many squares – Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square or Picadilly Circus. The most famous is the Trafalgar Square. It is said to be the largest in London and it is place of political demonstrations and busy traffic. It is originated in the 19 century. In the middle of the Square there is Nelson´s Column. It is about 50m high with five metre tall statue of horatio Nelson at the top. Admiral Nelson won the naval battle over the French and Spanish fleet at Spanish Cape Trafalgar in 1805. The Column is surrondedby two fountains.

There is a National Gallery on the Trafalgar Square too. There are greatest collections of painting from 13th to the 20th centuries – Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens and many others. The building is from 19th century.

Not far from the Trafalgar Square there is a Picadilly Circus. It is very busy and noisy place in London. In the centre there is a Fountain with Eros, the Greek God of love. On the surroundig buildings there are many advertisements which shine at night.

In the London there is a lot of parks – for example St. James´s Park is the oldest of them, Hyde Park is most popular among the tourists or Regent´s Park with zoo from 19 th century. The Hyde Park  has a Speaker´s Corner, it is the place where anybody can say anything – but he mustn´t offend the royal family.

If you like culture you can go to the theatre – There is the National Theatre, The Olivier Theater or the new Globe Theatre – it is a modern copy of the Globe Theatre where many of Shakespeare´s playswere performed and where Shakespeare himself also acted over four houndred years ago. London has many cinemas or music clubs too.

The most famous museum is the British Museum. It was founded in 18 th century. It includes the Museum and the British Library with more than 11 million volumes of books. In the museum there are historical collections from Egypt, Asia, China, Greece or Rome. You can see there Egyptian mummies too. Madame Tussaud´s museum contains wax figures of many important people in the world – singers, sportsmen, actors or politicians. There is also Sherlock Holmes Museum, The Natural History Museum or Science Museum.

If you like shoping you can go to the West End – there are many  shopping centres. In Bond Street there is many art galleries and antiques and jewellry ships or in Covent Garden is famous fruit and vegetable market and it is famous for Pygmalion – it takes place there.

If you like sport you can visit Wimbledon – it is very famous tennis competition.