London

London is the capital city of England and it is also the capital city of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is an association of Great Britain and its former colonies. London has a little over seven milion inhabitants. There is the river Thames pouring throught the city. The Tames is a very special river because it rises up to five metres during eight hours. London is considered to be one of the most interesting cities in the world – especially in the cultural meaning. City of London is also one of the biggest world´s business centers. There is one of the biggest insurence companies in the world called Lloyd‘s. The important branches of industry are textile production, production of groceries and production of furniture. A writer Samuel Johnson said about London that „who is tired of London is also tired of life“.

As for the history, perhaps the best known ruler was William the Conqueror who conquered England in 1066 and after it was crowned as King of England. London was stricken of Great plague in the middle of 14. century. Approximately a third of the population died that time. Another big disaster was the Great fire of London. London was a wooden city that time and the fire caused big pecuniary losses. Renewal of the city took more than ten years. After the fire houses were started to be built of stone. The main architect was Sir Christopher Wren. There was a monument built for his remembrance.

London has a lot of beautiful places to visit. Unfortunately, a lot of sights was damaged during the World War II. The centre of social events of London is Westminster where are most shops and entertainment centres. There are also the biggest industrial companies. There is also Palace of Westminster where is seat of government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Head of the House Lord is a Lord Chancellor and head of the House of Commons is a Speaker. Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace are a must see sights. Westminster Abbey is one of the most beautiful gothic buildings. It is a crypt of former rulers and also a place where coronations are done. Buckingham Palace is an official seat of the royal family. The best known square is called Picadilly Circus. Two the most known towers are in London – Victoria Tower and Clock Tower. Clock Tower has the hardest bell in England named Big Ben. Covent Garden is a business and entertainment centre with entrance to Royal Opera House. Downing street is a known street with a seat of the prime minister and minister of finance. London has also the biggest Ferris wheel in the world called the London Eye. London has a lot of nice parks and gardens, for example Green Park, St. James´s Park or Hyde Park. There is Speaker´s Corner – it is a place where is allowed to express our opinions. There is also a lot of concerts. Concert called Live 8 have been done there, for example. Kesington gardens are very beautiful too. Nice place is Trafalgar Square which reminds of Battle of Tragalgar during the Napoleonic wars. This place is often visited. Then I can mention Chinatown – it is an area in Soho. There is a lot of Chinese restaurants, shops with groceries and souvenirs. As for galleries and museums, we know the National Gallery, Museum of Madame Tussauds, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, the Tate Gallery, the British Museum or Saatchi Gallery. The British Museum is one of the biggest and the most important musems of history and culture. It contains collections subjects from all the continents documenting history of mankind from its start to its present. And Saatchi Gallery is gallery of modern art. There are also the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge.

As for transport, London has one of the biggest airports in the world – Heathrow. Another known airports are Gatwick, Luton or Stansted. Very popular means of transport is the underground called the Tube. We know also railway stations, for example Victoria Station – it is one of the biggest railway stations in the world.



Harrods - very known store in London