LONDON AND OTHER BRITISH CITIES

1. LONDON AND OTHER BRITISH CITIES

2. GENERAL INFORMATION • London isthe capital city of the United Kingdom • It is located on the Thamesriverin the southeast part of England. • London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures • Itspopulationis 8 millionpeople (10 millionwithsuburbs) • Itincludesthe city ofLondon and 32 boroughs • Seat of Monarchy, theParliament, theGovermentand theSupremeCourt • CentralLondon = The City of London - theoldestpart ofLondon • TheEast End - a lot of imigrant groups • TheWest End – there are theatres, beautifulresidentialareas, greatparks.

3. HISTORY • London wasfounded by theRomansaround 43 AD. • WhentheRomansleft, the period ofhistoryknown as theDarkAgesstarted. The city waslargelyruinous and declining. But then, by thetradingwithdistantempires, London becamecommercial centre again. • 1665 - Great plague • 1666 - Great fire, lastedfivedays and virtuallydestroyedthe city. • By the 14th century - London becamethepoliticalcapitalofEngland • Thereignof Elizabeth I. - centre ofEngland'sRenaissanceculture • Many buildingsofcentral London weredestroyedordamaged in air raidsduringWorldWar II. • Nowadays, London is a major financial, political, cultural and educational centre.

4. THE MOST IMPORTANTS SIGHTS • Tower Bridge is a basculebridgeover the riverThames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name. Construction started in 1886 and took eight years. Tower Bridgecan open in themiddle and let largeships go through.

5. Buckingham Palaceis the official London residence and mainworkplace of the British monarch. Outsidethe place thechangingoftheguardceremonytakes place. ItisoneofthebiggestLondon'sparades. London EyeThe London Eyeis a giantwheelsituated on the bank oftheThames. Theentirestructureis 135 metres tall. Thewheel has 32 passengercapsules.

6. Palace of Westminsteris the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. • Commonly known as the Houses of Parliament after its tenants, the Palace lies on the bank of the riverThames in the City of Westminster, in central London. • The Palace of Westminster is part of UNESCO World Heritage since 1987.

7. Westminster Abbeyis a large, mainly gothicchurch.Itwaswas first constructed in the eleventh century by King Edward the Confessor. • Itisthecrowning place ofEnglishmonarchs and severalgenerationsofEnglishsovereignsare buriedhere. • Famousenglishpersons are buriedheretoo, f.e. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin. Thereare also many memorialsofgreatstatesmen, politicians, scientists, and poets. • Place forroyalweddings.

8. Tower of Londonis a castle on the north bank of the riverThames in central London. The castle was used as a prison. Tower of London wasbuiltatthetimeof William theConqueror. Thecrownjewels are keptthere. Trafalgar SquarewasnamedafterAdmiralNelson'svictoryover Napoleon attheBattleofTrafalgar (1805). Nelson'sstatuesurrounded by fourlionsissituatedhere. TheNationalGalleryalsolieshere.

9. Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell and clocktowerat the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London.Officiallynamed Elizabeth Tower. • St. Paul'sCathedralisa masterpieceofthearchitect Sir Christopher Wren and wasbuiltafterthe Great Fire in 1666. In 1981 Charles and Diana weremarriedhere.

10. SYMBOLS OF LONDON • Reddouble-deckers • Oldfashioned black taxis • Red phone-boxes • Guardsmen • The London Underground (tube) - thefirst undergroundrailway for passengers in the world.

11. SPORT IN LONDON • Olympic Games in London In 2012 there were Summer Olympic Games • London became thefirst city in theworldthathostedtheOlympicGamesthreetimes, becausetherewereOlympicgames in 1908 and 1948 as well. • Arsenal, Chelsea and TottenhamHotspurare London's most successfulfootballteamsin domestic and Europeancompetitions. • Wembley Stadium, England'snational stadium.ItisthehomevenueoftheEnglandnationalfootball team. • Wimbledon is a district in southwest London. Itishome to theWimbledon TennisChampionships

12. CARDIFF • The capital city of Wales • Centre oftheWelshculture • Cardiffis known for Cardiff castle, the National Museum Gallery of Wales, MilleniumStadium, and Cardiff Bay. • EDINBURGH • Located in the south east of Scotland • Edinburgh isthe capital city of Scotland • Beautifulcity with its large collection of Medieval and Georgian buildings • Edinburghcastleon a piece of volcanic rock

13. BRIGHTON • Located on the south coast of England by the seaside – popularsummer resort. • is known as a student town and is full of young people, so you'll notice many schools, music stores, vegetarian restaurants, great pubs, fish and chip shops and a couple of cool malls. • Famous for the Royal Pavilionbuilt in oriental style andBrighton Pier

14. There is the oldest university in England. • Oxford University consists of 38 independentcolleges. • The largest is called Christ Church. • The city is situated at the meeting of two rivers- The Thames and The Cherwell. • There are many museums, libraries, galleries. • Cambridge is a university town with 30 colleges • Second oldest university in England • Firstlyonly for men, later also for women. • There is very famous bridge over the river called Bridge of Sighs. • Thereis a long history of rivalrybetween Oxford and Cambridge, big competition • OXFORDCAMBRIDGE

15. STRATFORD-UPON-AVON • Small, but very popular and visited city • This city wasfounded by germantribeofSaxons. • William Shakespeare wasbornhere • In Holy Trinity Church you can see the grave of Shakespeare, his wife and other members of his family. There is the Royal Shakespeare Theatre where the Shakepeare’s plays have been played. • Shakespeare’s birthplace is the house where Shakespeare was born in 1564. William Shakespeare‘sbirthplace

16. LIVERPOOL • This city is connected with popular music • In Liverpool the music group Beatles was formed. • Liverpool was one of the biggest centres of industry, but today Liverpool one of the poorest parts of England. • Thereis a big port • Liverpool'sAnglicanCathedral, completed in 1978, isthelargest in the UK and thefifthlargest in theworld

17. BATH • Situated150 km west of London • TheRomansfoundedthis city • Famousforspa, one of the most beautiful in the United Kingdom. • It's a World Heritage city, full of roman ruins, Bathabbey • Natural hot springs • Theatres, museums, parks…

18. QUESTIONS • Whathappened in London in 1666? • Name 4 sights in London. • Whatis Stratford-upon-Avon famourfor? • Whatis Liverpool famousfor? • Whatcanyousee in thepictures?

19. THE END Marie Jindrová XB Sources: www.google.com