LONDON

1. LONDON • Capital city of the U.K. • Cosmopolitan city • 7,5 million inhabitants • High quality of transport • A lot of sights

2. SITUATION • London, the capital of the U.K., is situated on the Thames in the southeast of England • London consists of tree parts: the original and historical City, West End – centre of entertainment and East End, rather an industrial area • It is a major world financial centre with a number of banks and the well-known London Stock Exchange

3. HISTORY • The city was probably founded 2,000 years ago • The Romans built their settlement there in 43 A.D. and called it Londinium • After a fire in 61 A.D. the town was rebuilt again and surrounded by a wall • The area within the walls is now called the City of London • Later London became an important port, industrial centre and the seat of kings and queens • The nations of Saxons, Romans and Danes had settled there, followed by Normans who brought stability and prosperity

4. TRANSPORT • London transport is one of quite high quality • Double-decker buses, though now in the historical parts only • Tube (the underground) – it is the oldest and one of the most perfect underground networks in the world

5. TRANSPORT (2) Black taxis (cabs) - It may be a little bit too expensive, but then, you can be sure you will get exactly where you want • London can be boast of an extensive bus network – buses are the only possible way to travel after midnight • You can also travel by river buses

6. SIGHTSEEINGS The Tower of London stands on the north bank of the Thames and its history has been made nearly a thousand years. The White Tower, the oldest part of the Tower, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078. The Tower has been put to many uses such as a royal residence, a fortress, a prison, an execution palace, a royal treasury and museum.

7. The Tower Bridge is a great symbol of London. It was erected between 1886-94 and it si the best-known of all the bridges spanning the Thames. It was designed by Sir Horace Jones and Sir Fohn Wolfe Barry. The bridge opens in the middle and goes up when huge boats want to pass trought.

8. St Paul´s Cathedral is one of the largest in the world. It was built by the architect Sir Christopher Wren in 17th century after the Great Fire. The Whispering Gallery is a famous curiosity. The excellent acoustics of the place brings any sound to the opposite side. Many famous people are buried there, among others the Duke of Wellington, Horatio Nelson. Princ Charles and Lady Diana had their wedding ceremony there.

9. The Palace of Westminster, Big Ben The Houses of Parliament are officially called the Palace of Westminster. In the middle ages there was a royal place there, but Henry VIII gave it over to government. There is the Victoria Tower, the highes gothic tower in the world and the Clock Tower with the famous bell Big Ben.

10. Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square Buckingham Palace has been the home of the sovereign since Queen Victoria. The Changing of the Guards is one of the biggest London´s spectacles and it takes place every day at 11.00 a.m. Trafalgar Square has a hight statue of Horatio Nelson resting on a high column, and the whole monument dominates the square. The Square is surrounded with St Martin-in-the-Field Church and the National Gallery.

11. Piccadilly Circus Five major roads cross there and in the close surroundings there are many London theatres, cinemas, restaurants and shops. At night the huge advertising hoardings are lit up – advertising brands like McDonald´s, Samsung, Fosters and Coca-cola. In the middle of the square there is the statue of Eros. The idea was that the statue should represent Angel of Christian Charity, but the name Eros persisted.

12. The British Museum The British Museum, founded in 1753, is the biggest in the world. It houses the world´s largest collections of all kinds of animals, minerals, rocks etc. There is also the colletion of drawings by the Czech artist Václav Hollar.

13. HYDE PARK Hyde Park is a London Royal Park founded in 1536 and it´s the biggest London´s park. There is the Serpentine Lake. It is a popular place for boating, sailing and even bathing. There is the Albert Memorial, too. Tourist famous place is Speaker´s Corner, when anyone can stand on a soap-box and talk about whatever they want except the Royal family. Anyone is welcome to say freely what they want.

14. ST. JAMES´S PARK, REGENT´S PARK • St James´s Park is the oldest of London´s parks, on the north side of Buckingham Palace. It´s a beautiful park. • Regent´s Park is London´s most complete open air space – it has acres of playing fields, boating and sailing lakes, the city´s ZOO in its northern part, an open air theatre and shady avenues.

15. Regent and Oxford Streets contain a number of department stores mainly targeted at middle classes. • You can shop at Harrod´s, Hamleys (for toys) or at Selgfidges. Shopping in Portobello Road Markdet and Camden Market is a bit cheaper and you can find really unusual bargains. Anything fromantiques to second-hand clothes are sold there. • Covent Garden used to be a market, now it´s a centre of entertainment. There are theatres around, you can stop and listen to the street buskers there. The old market halls have been preserved and have shops there now.