Almost all travelers who find themselves in the UK tend to visit its capital. Not surprisingly, because the history of London has been going on for about two millennia, it is full of events, including bloody ones. What can be told about the creation and development of the political, economic and cultural center of the United Kingdom, its interesting sights?
History of London: The Beginning
The first mention of the capital of foggy Albion dates back to 43 AD. In fact, the history of London begins with the landing of Roman legionnaires in the British Isles. Moving deep into the territory, the troops met with an obstacle, which became the famous Thames. Forcing the river implied the construction of a bridge. To carry out the work, the Romans were forced to establish a camp on the north bank of the Thames, called the Londinium.
If you believe the notes of the scientist Tacitus, already in 51, the new settlement deserved the title of bastion of trade. At first it was surrounded by an earthen wall, later (around the beginning of the fourth century) it was replaced by a stone wall. The history of London shows that the city survived the difficult times associated with the collapse of the Roman Empire. The buildings were destroyed, the number of inhabitants of the city decreased significantly. However, already in the seventh century, London began to revive. It was then that the city acquired the first cathedral, named after St. Paul.
In the ninth century, the reputation of the center of trade returned to the former Londinium, but a new problem appeared - the Viking raids. Only the monarch Edward the Confessor was able to restore order, in the middle of the 11th century he proclaimed Anglo-Saxon leadership in the city.
Middle Ages
The history of London during the Middle Ages is also eventful. In the 11th century, Westminster Abbey was erected on its territory, in which in 1066 the famous William the Conqueror was crowned. Through the efforts of the king, the settlement became rich and large. In 1209, the famous London Bridge, crossing the Thames, was built; it lasted about 600 years.
The time period spanning the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries turned out to be a difficult test for this settlement. The history of the city of London shows that it was briefly captured by the French, survived a peasant revolt. Also a serious problem was the plague epidemic.
Beneficial for the capital of foggy Albion was the reign of the Tudor dynasty. At this time, London was among the largest European shopping centers. The weakening of Spain, which was defeated in the 1588 war, had a positive effect on its development.
New time
The Tudors were replaced by the Stuarts, but the capital continued to flourish. By the way, London acquired the status of the main city of Great Britain in 1707. In the same century, the restoration of St. Paul’s Cathedral, destroyed in a fire, the construction of Westminster Bridge. Buckingham Palace turns into the main residence of the kings.
In the 19-20th centuries, the city experienced industrialization and urbanization, the number of its inhabitants increased to a million people. In 1836, the construction of railways began, in 1863 the subway appeared in London. Of course, there were problems, for example, cholera epidemics, which are easily explained by the rapid population growth.
Information about the losses suffered during the Second World War, also contains the history of London. Briefly: the capital has repeatedly suffered from bombing of enemy aircraft, many buildings were destroyed. Only the approximate number of civilian casualties is known - 30 thousand people.
Description
Of course, not only the history of the creation of London is interesting. What is the main city of the United Kingdom today? It is known that this settlement is the second largest city located in Europe. Its area is approximately 1580 square kilometers.
How many people live in the capital of Misty Albion? According to the latest data, this figure is approximately 8.5 million people. The inhabitants of the city are not only British, but also Irish, Asians, Indians, etc.
Interesting Facts
The history of London says that the city was far from always bearing its modern name. In various chronicles that have survived to this day, this locality is referred to as Londinium, Ludenburg, Ludenvik. The 17th century is considered the bloodiest in the history of the capital, it was at this time that its inhabitants were faced with such shocks as the Great Plague, which claimed the lives of more than 60 thousand people, the Great Fire of London, which destroyed many buildings of historical value.
Locals often call their city "big smoke." This is due to the Great Smog - a catastrophe that took place in 1952. Within five days, the settlement was shrouded in smoke, this happened as a result of excessive concentration of industrial enterprises on its territory. The great smog claimed the lives of about four thousand people.
In the world there is no metro built before the London one. Its inhabitants in London called the "pipe", since it is this form that most of the tunnels have.
Museum of History London
The inhabitants of the capital of Great Britain carefully respect the history of their beloved city. The proof is the London History Museum, the number of exhibits of which has long exceeded one million. This building stores everything that is connected with the life of the village, starting from the times preceding its foundation.
The grand opening of the museum took place in 1976, it is located next to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Everyone can visit it for free. At the moment, the carriage of the Lord Mayor is considered the most interesting exhibit.
Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History in London appeared in 1881, at first it worked as part of the British Museum, and later officially separated from it. The building is famous for rare exhibits from the world of zoology, botany, mineralogy, paleontology. First of all, its popularity with residents and visitors is due to the fact that among the exhibits there are dinosaur remains.
For example, in the Museum of Natural History (its second name) you can see the skeleton of a diplodocus, whose length is 26 meters. A mechanical model of a tyrannosaurus is also shown to visitors.
