3. London

3. LONDON

• London is the capital city of the UK and England

• it is located in the south-east of England on the river Thames

• it is a seat of the Monarch, the Parliament, the Government, banks and other international organizations

PARTS OF LONDON

• THE CITY OF LONDON – is the oldest part and it‘s a business, financial and economical centre

• THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER – is political and administrative life centre

• WEST END – is the shopping and entertainment centre

• EAST END – used to by poor but now it is rapidly developing area

HISTORY

• the city was probably founded 2000 years ago when the Romans built their town here and called it Londinium

• the city survived plague in 1665 when Black Death killed almost 100 000 people

• in 1666 the Great Fire of London burned down most of the city

  • later an architect CHRISTOPHER WREN rebuilt the town

• during the World War II London was heavily damaged by the Germans bombing

TRANSPORT

• London was the first city in the world to have an underground railway systém called the Tube

• London is also famous for its red double-decker buses and black taxis

• there are 6 airports → the biggest on is the Heathrow and others are f.ex. Stansted or Gatwick

PLACES OF INTEREST

• THE TOWER OF LONDON – the Crown Jewels are kept here

• THE TOWER BRIDGE – it’s a bridge which opens in the middle and let large ships go through

• HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT – are the residence of members of Parliament

  • there is also famous clock-tower called Elizabeth Tower with the Big Ben bell

• THE LONDON EYE – is a giant Ferris wheel

• BUCKINGHAM PALACE – is the residence of the Queen and her family

• TRAFALGAR SQUARE – is named after admiral Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar → his statue is here

• MADAME TUSSAUND’S WAX MUSEUM – is the museum of wax figures of famous people and celebrities

• DOWNING STREET 10 – is an official seat of British Prime Ministers

• PICCADILLY CIRCUS – is a round square with cinemas, theatres, restaurants, pubs and so on