London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom. It lies on the river Thames and covers an area of 1 580 sq kilometres. There live about 12 million in London (including  conurbation). London consists of the City of London and 32 boroughs   and it is the seat of the Monarch, the Parliament and the Government. There are many important historical buildings, museums, galleries, exchanges etc. so tourism is of great importance. It means London is one of the most important financial, commercial and cultural centres in the world as well as port.
    The Celts settled the territory of nowadays London as early as 800 B.C. but probably the site had been inhabited in the Stone Age too. The place had been occupied by the Romans from about 55 B.C. and about 43 A.D. they established Londonium (‘Llyndum’ in Celtic - it means ‘a walled place situated high’).
When the Romans left the island in the fifth century, it remained the capital of the Britons. It kept its importance during the Anglo-Saxon time and later during the reign of the Danish kings in the 10th and 11th centuries.
    During the 12th century under a reign   of Norman kings (William the Conqueror was first in 1066) the royal court moved from Winchester to London for ever.
    The 17th century brought much suffering to London. In 1665 more than 75 000 people died from a plague epidemic   and a year later, in 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed four fifths of the city! During the following decades hectic building activity re-built the whole town. Sir Christopher Wren was appointed   as the main architect and he constructed many important buildings.
Until the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901) London acquired its present appearance and importance.
German bombing during World War II caused serious damages especially in the City, though this cannot be noticed nowadays.
A great number of popular tourist attraction can be found in London’s central and northern parts. The City of London is the oldest part of London and has been self-governing enclave from the 12th century. This part of London is the largest commercial and financial centre of Europe.
The top tourist attraction in London is the Tower of London. William the Conqueror began to built this massive fortress - the White Tower - in 1066. The Tower served till 16th century as a royal home, a prison a royal mint and observatory  . Now it is a museum where tourist go to see an expositions of weapons, the Crown Jewels, the prison where many famous persons were kept (e.g. Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy  ). There is also the execution block where Henry VIII’s wives, Ann Boleyn and Catherine Howard were beheaded  . The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen Warders (incorrectly called ‘Beefeaters’) who still wear the uniform of Turod times. Six ravens are kept in the Tower to protect the whole Kingdom - the old legend says that the Kingdom will cease to exist   when the ravens leave the Tower. There is still performed   the 700 years old ceremony when the main gate is located every night.
Next to the Tower stands Tower Bridge (built in 1894), which is the most famous bridge in London. It rises in the middle to allow ships to pass up the river and the rising takes 90 seconds.
The largest and the best-known church of the city is St. Paul’s Cathedral, built by Christopher Wren in 1711 (after 35 years). It stands on the site of the previous cathedral which was damaged by the Great Fire in 1666. St.Paul’s Cathedral is built in Baroque style, the main nave is 170 meters long and the central dome rises 111 meters high - it is the second largest church in the world (after St.Peter’s Cathedral in Rome). St.Paul’s cathedral has seen many important occasions - Sir W.Churchill’s funeral service in 1965 or the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer in 1981. There are buried Admiral Nelson and Sir Ch.Wren himself.
Great Britain is the oldest parliament democracy in the world. The Houses of Parliament are the political centre of the Untied Kingdom. They were re-built in Neo-Gothic style in 1840 but the oldest part of this buildings, Westminster Hall dating back from 1097. The House of Lords is a gothic hall decorated in red, with the throne of the Sovereign and the House of Commons consist of parallel rows of green lather benches  . And 97,5 meters above the Parliament rises the clock tower called Big Ben, one of the best-known London’s landmarks  . But Big Ban isn’t really the mane of the clock, it is the name of the bell.
Facing the Houses of Parliament is the most important church in the country - Westminster Abbey. Its history goes back to the 11th century and since William the Conqueror times, monarchs are crowned and heroes buried there - e.g. Elizabeth I, Mary Stuart, Henry VII. On of the biggest ceremony being held in Westminster Abbey was the funeral ceremony of Princess Diana in September 1997.
Not far from the House of Parliament is Buckingham Palace, the London home of the kings and queens of Great Britain. It was built in 1703 but the first Monarch to live there was Queen Victoria in 1837.
Whitehall is the seat of Government and close to this complex there is Downing street, whose number 10 has been the home of the Prime Minister (since 1735).
Trafalgar Square is said to be the largest in London. Its name commemorates   the naval victory of Admiral Nelson who defeated Napoleon’s fleet at Cape Trafalgar in 1805. In the middle of the square there is Nelson’s Column (50 meters high) with a five meters high statue of Admiral Nelson.
One side of the Trafalgar Square forms the famous National Gallery. It houses one of the greatest collections of painting from 13th to 20th centuries - e.g. da Vinci, Tizian, Rubens, van Gogh, Renoir etc.
A short way from Trafalgar Square is Piccadilly Circus. It is centre of entertainment, night clubs, theatres, cinemas and restaurants. The most beautiful view of the square is at the night when it is lit   by many colourful advertisements. In the centre of the Circus at the top of the Fountain stands Eros, the Greek God of love.
Kensington Palace was competed in 1605 and later it was a residence of Sir Ch.Wren. Now it is one of the Royal Palace and it was Princess Diana’s residence till her tragically death.
There are also many parks and gardens in London. The most popular among tourists is Hyde Park. The best known part of this park is the Speaker’s Corner, where everybody can speak publicly without fear of being arrested for their opinion. Another famous parks are St.James’s Park with lake and small island form the 19th century, Kensington Gardens etc.
London is also world famous as cultural and scientific centre. There are famous Royal Opera House, National Theatre, British Museum and Library with more than 11 million volumes, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum of famous and infamous world figure etc. Pop and rock fans can visit many of London’s music arenas, especially Wembley Arena. London is the seat of many universities and collages. Many tourists visited the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, where the Prime Meridian of zero longitude runs.
The river Themes has been used as a highway since prehistoric times and the Port of London is considered to be one of the best in the world. There are five airports in London, the biggest of them being Heathrow west o the city and Gatwick in the south. London’s underground, often called ‘tube’ is the world’s oldest - since 1863 - and its network is about 420 km and 273 stations on ten lines. Another typical kind of transport in London are its red Double-decker buses.