Top 10 interesting facts about London

The capital and largest city of Great Britain – London – is a special place that attracts Russian billionaires and tourists from all over the world. This city is good for a comfortable life, climate, loyalty to its traditions, unique museums, etc. But this city is comfortable for those who have money.

Those who have been in London never forget about their experiences – after all, it is here that double-decker buses drive around, there are unforgettable old buildings of the Victorian era, in search of which you can wander for hours, of course, without getting tired, because there are many interesting things along the way!

If you have not yet been inspired by London, we invite you to learn about 10 interesting facts about this metropolis that attracts talented people. Most interesting stories have been written and continue to be written about the streets of this city …

10 Founded by the Romans in 43 AD.

London at the beginning of the XNUMXth century began to bear the status of the capital of Great Britain. There are several legends about how this city was formed. And so far they have not been confirmed by either historians or researchers. But it is generally accepted that it was founded in 43 AD.

The Romans, led by Emperor Claudius, invaded Britain. At first, London was a tiny town that was destroyed several times (especially in 1666 during a fire that was so terrifying that it destroyed 80% of the city. The cause of the fire is rather banal – a fire from an improperly extinguished oven in one of the bakeries spread to neighboring buildings ).

9. Londinium was the capital of Roman Britain

Londinium arose in 43 AD. as a result of the conquest of territories by the Romans. For the first time he received the status of the capital in the III century. Britain was then divided into Upper and Lower.

Londinium was the capital of Upper Britain. Although the coming years (and even centuries) prepared for the city severe trials: epidemics, fires, economic crisis, etc., every time Londinium, one might say, rose from its knees, regaining the status of the municipal center of the planet.

8. Became a target for terrorists

In 1970 London was attacked for the first time by a rebel group. These attacks were not an isolated case – they were repeated until the end of the XNUMXth century, after which The IRA was replaced by Al-Qaeda (terrorist organization No. 1 in the world).

The group carried out a series of explosions on July 7, 2005, which was carried out in public transport. 14 years ago, four suicide bombers set off explosive devices that were in their backpacks. As a result, 52 people died and more than 700 were injured.

7. The city hosts an annual haute couture week.

Fashion Week is a very famous event nowadays. It was first held in 1943 in New York, but then it was called differently – press week. London Fashion Week has always attracted great public attention with its shocking, colorful, originality, etc..

London has always been famous for being a launching pad for talented and breakthrough designers who are just starting to take their first steps on the high podium.

Pay attention to these names: Halpern, Rejina Pyo, Matty Bovan. Each show that takes place annually during the week is a real event! Designers go out of their way to attract the attention of the press and enthusiastic public. It is worth noting that someone still manages to do this.

For your information: to get to London Fashion Week, you need accreditation or a personal invitation.

6. Belongs to the global cities of the highest rank

As a rule, a global city is of key importance for large regions of our planet and has a significant impact on them from different areas: political, economic, cultural, etc.

London is a leading financial center for international business. In addition, the city is recognized as a world leader in gold trading.

The British writer HG Wells wrote enthusiastically:This city is the most beautiful, interesting, amazing…‘, in which, of course, he was right. Everyone finds a job here, according to their rank, immigrants have no problems with this either. It is a pleasure to live, work and do business here.

5. 12 thousand people were killed because of the “pea soup”

At the beginning of the 1952th century, in XNUMX, London was drowning in smog … The fog was not white, but yellow and very thick. People could not see anything at a distance of a meter. It was formed due to the combination of thick fog and exhaust gases, fireplace smoke and soot – London newspapermen called it “pea soup”.

But it turned out to be poisonous, taking 12 people to the next world … Hundreds of thousands of people were hospitalized. The fog lasted 000 days, visibility was almost zero, but most of the deaths were caused by infections of the respiratory system. Residents were not shocked by what was happening, because fogs in London are not at all uncommon.

4. London’s first zoo

In 1828 a zoo was opened in the city.. Founded by Thomas Stamford Raffles. Already in 1847 inquisitive visitors could enter its doors.

There are a lot of different animals in this beautiful zoo – there are over 16 of them and 800 species! To taste all the charm of the zoo, you need to allocate at least 755 hours for your stay (or even more). The museum is ready to provide visitors with almost any animal! However, here you will not see large species of animals – in 3 they were transported to the Whipsnade Zoo.

For your information: zoo address: Outer Cir, Regent’s Park.

3. Indigenous people in different areas of London have their own accent

In London, in addition to standard English, there are at least 37 accents and dialects.. Once in the city, some tourists experience surprise, not understanding what the indigenous people are saying to them.

You should know that the UK consists of 4 regions, these are: Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each region speaks in its own accents, which are of high cultural value.

An aristocratic accent, for example, is used, as you might guess, in the high strata of society (the conversation is carried on slowly and with a certain touch of arrogance), cockney is a dialect of colloquial English (a dialect of the working class belonging to the lower strata of society.) Of course, the list does not end there. .

2. Most of the architectural monuments are located in the Westminster area

Westminster, founded in the XNUMXth century, is one of the districts of the city with a long history, it is not surprising that most of the architectural monuments are located here.. The name comes from the church, which is located to the west of the monastery of St. Paul.

Now it is an official-royal district. There are many attractions that tourists enjoy looking at: for example, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

In Westminster, many tourists also come to look at Big Ben (the famous clock tower), the parliament, and also the royal parks. For those who are going to London, it is best to settle in Westminster, imbued with the spirit and culture of England.

1. The first city in the world to host three Olympics

London is the first city in modern Olympic history to host the Olympics 3 times. The first two Olympics were held in 1908 and 1948.

In memory of the 2012 Olympics, London has a 115-meter observation tower ArcelorMittal Orbit, which was built in London’s Olympic Park in Stafford. The tower was supposed to be a reminder that in 2012 London hosted international competitions.