London
London was founded as a Roman settlement by Roman emperor Claudius and was first called Londinium.
The city grew gradually but a great part of it was destroyed by Great fire in 1666. Many buildings were
made of wood and caught very easily. In the years that followed the city was rebuilt in stone. Many
buildings were restored by the outstanding English architect Sir Christopher Wren.
Nowadays is London a capital of the United Kingdom and it is one of the largest cities in the world. The
population of London together with the suburbs is about 9 000 000 and its total area is about 1 580 square
kilometres. Its population is very diverse, drawing from a wide range of peoples, cultures and religions,
speaking over 300 different languages. It is also a leading global city, industrial, commercial and culture
centre of the country with many historic buildings, monuments, famous streets, beautiful parks, museums,
universities and airports. London lies on the river Thames and during the tides the water level of river rises
and is navigable for big ocean-going ships. The river is also connected by a system of canals with the
Severn estuary.
The river Thames flows through the city and divides it into the left and right blank. But the central London
without the suburbs can be divided into four main areas.
The first area is The City of London. The City is an oldest part. It is a small area with only about 10 000
permanent residents. But on weekdays it is a very busy place, here are a lot of banks, offices, headquarters
of firms, the world’s most advances stock exchange, foreing exchange market and other important
institutions. Thousand of people residing in other parts of the London come to work here every day. All
weekends the City is crowded with tourists coming to see historic attraction like Tower Bridge and Tower
of London. The Tower of London was built as a fortress, it later become a prison and place of execution.
Today are the Crown Jewels and collection of arms and armour here. The Tower is guarded by beefeaters.
They wear traditional black and red uniforms. Another well-known building in the City is St. Paul’s
Cathedral famous for its whispering gallery which is run around the dome. It is a second largest church in
the world. We can find here all sorts of banks, financial institutions and head offices of international
companies. The best-known building of this area is The Bank of England, Lloyd’s insurance building, and
the stock Exchange and Royal Exchange are also situated here.
The second area is The Westminster. This area is known for its royal places and government offices. The
center of the area is Westminster Abbey – one of the biggest Roman Catholic churches in England. All
English kings and queens have been crowned here since 1066 and most of them are buried here.
Buckingham palace is the London home of queen. If the flag is waving on the top it means she is at home.
Every day at 10:30 am the queen’s guards perform the ceremony of changing the guard at Buckingham
Palace. Close by Westminster Abbey stand a Palace of Westminster better known as the Houses of
Parliament. It is situated on the left of the river and it is only one gothic building. It is supreme law-making
body in the country. It consists of the House of Commons and House of Lords.
The third area is The West End. It is a richest part and is famous for its shops and places of entertainment.
Here we can find most of London’s theatres, cinemas and nightclubs. The hearth of London’s entertainment
world is Piccadilly Circus. In the middle of this square stands the Statue of Eros. It is a busy place both at
day and night. In the center of The West End is a Chinatown. Among the most famous West End’s streets
is Oxford street, Regent’s street, Carnaby street and Bond street.
The last area is The East End. It used to be a slum in 19th century but after heavy bombing during World
War II it was rebuilt. It is a poorest part which is famous for its cockney dialect and is inhabited mostly by
the working class.
Nikola Chlepkova