Presentation. 6th grade. Historical parts of London

Historical parts of London

London  is the capital of England and  of the United Kingdom  , one of the most densely populated and popular cities in Europe and the world, home to over 13 million people. This beautiful, monumental city was founded by the Romans and was originally called Londinium. London , city, capital of the  United Kingdom . It is among the oldest of the world’s great cities—its history spanning nearly two millennia—and one of the most  cosmopolitan . By far  Britain’s  largest metropolis, it is also the country’s economic, transportation,

and cultural center.

If the border of the metropolis is well defined, its internal structure is immensely complicated and defies description. Indeed, London’s defining characteristic is an absence of overall form.

It is physically a polycentric city, with many core districts and no clear  hierarchy  among them. London has at least two (and sometimes many more) of everything: cities, mayors, dioceses, cathedrals, chambers of commerce, police forces, opera houses, orchestras, and universities. In every aspect it functions as a  compound  or confederal metropolis.

Historically, London grew from three distinct centers: the walled settlement founded by the Romans on the banks of the Thames in the 1st century  CE , today known as the  City of London , “the Square Mile,” or simply “the City”; facing it across the bridge on the lower gravels of the south bank, the suburb of  Southwark ; and a mile upstream, on a great southward bend of the river, the  City of Westminster . The three settlements had distinct and complementary roles. London, “the City,” developed as a center of trade, commerce, and banking. Southwark, “the Borough,” became known for its monasteries, hospitals, inns, fairs, pleasure houses, and the great theatres of Elizabethan London—the  Rose  (1587), the  Swan  (1595), and the world-famous  Globe  (1599).

Westminster grew up around an abbey, which brought a royal palace and, in its train, the entire central apparatus of the British state—its legislature, executive, and judiciary. It also boasts spacious parks and the most fashionable districts for living and shopping—the  West End . The north-bank settlements merged into a single built-up area in the early decades of the 17th century, but they did not combine into a single enlarged municipality. The City of London was unique among  Europe’s  capital cities in retaining its  medieval  boundaries. Westminster and other suburbs were left to develop their own administrative structures—a pattern replicated a hundred times over as London exploded in size, becoming the  prototype  of the modern metropolis.

Westminster Abbey

Historical architectural monument in the style of "Gothic", founded in 1065. The western facade of the Benedictine abbey is decorated with sculptures of 10 martyrs of the last century. For many centuries, Westminster Abbey was the traditional place of coronation of the Norman rulers and thanks to generous donations to the community of monks from the 12th century gradually strengthened its influence on the official authority. The standard of beauty and style of the Gothic Renaissance is the two western towers of the abbey, known throughout the world. Until the 19th century, Westminster Abbey was called one of the three most important scientific centers of England after Cambridge   and  Oxford  .

London National Gallery (The National Gallery, London) and Trafalgar Square (Trafalgar Square)

The intersection of the main streets of Westminster is united by Trafalgar Square, often called the "heart of England". The middle of the square is decorated with Nelson's 44-meter column, and around it there are embassies, the Admiralty Arch and the world-famous museum of painting - the London National Gallery. From the base of the gallery in 1824 the canvases were placed in the order of their writing, and at the moment the number of masterpieces of painting exceeds 2 thousand. The National Gallery is particularly proud of the creations of Raphael, Rubens, Van Dyck, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt and Titian. The collection represents all directions of Western European painting of the 13th - 20th centuries. During the war, air bombs came into the building with pictures several times, but not a single artwork was damaged.

Museum of Modern Art: Tate Modern - Art Galery

London Tate Modern, although officially called the "modern museum", but contains the brilliant creations of masters since 1900. The museum, located on the south bank of the Thames, is visited annually by more than 5 million fans of painting. Since the opening of the Turbine Hall, in which the generators of the closed power plant were previously located, about 30 million visitors saw its exposition. This is a special project of the museum, in which modern authors can present unusual creations. A great opportunity to see the whole of London as in the palm of your hand will be a visit to the cafe-bar on the 7th floor. From the observation deck you can see the St. Paul's Cathedral, the Thames and the central part of the city. Entrance to the Tate Modern is not paid. The museum has several permanent free exhibits, but some exhibitions of outstanding artists require payment.

British Museum (the British Museum)

1753 became the year of unification in London of three valuable literary and historical collections and the creation of the British Museum. Repeated relocations and expansion of depositories led to the allocation of separate parts of numismatic values, the Museum of Natural History, the Department of Ancient Oriental art samples and, in fact, the British Library. The most valuable masterpieces of the collection are the antiquities of Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia and Ancient Rome. The library of the museum rightfully bears the title of one of the richest in the world, numbering more than 150 million printed publications in different languages. In the library's treasury is the only hand-written record of the epic "Beowulf", the first editions of the "Gutenberg Bible" and the personal records of Da Vinci.

The Museum of Design (Design Museum)

"Someday some other museums will show these exhibits"

On the picturesque bank of the Thames in 1989, one of the best museums in the world in the field of fashion, architecture and graphics - Design Museum. This is one of the few London art depositories that provides a paid entrance for admirers of the beautiful. About 200 thousand people annually visit the museum building in the Art Nouveau style, evaluating the exhibition of design shoes, the development of video games, the history of clothing in different decades and a collection of graphic works. The museum regularly conducts lectures by famous designers and fashion designers, there is an "educational department" for schoolchildren and students of design schools. In a local cafe, you can have a leisurely talk about the world of fashion or admire the view of the Tower Bridge.

Museum of Natural History (National History Museum)

London's world-famous Museum of Natural History includes several collections and invites to free tours of lovers of botany, zoology, mineralogy and researchers of antiquities. The storehouse of the museum includes up to 6 million samples of the plant world, 55 million representatives of animal fauna and up to 500,000 minerals. The central hall of the museum represents a huge collection of skeletons of dinosaurs, here you can see the bones of a diplodocus in full size or a movable specimen of a tyrannosaurus. The mammal hall is decorated with a real-size whale model and the skeletons of many marine animals. For small visitors, the museum provides up to 10 popular scientific excursions and programs ("star animals", "dinosaurs", "create a volcano", "draw nature") to activate the research interest of kids.

The Victoria and Albert Museum: V & amp; A

In 1852 in London was laid the foundation of the Museum of Decorative and Applied Art and Design. At the opening of a small gallery called the Museum of Products, but thanks to Queen Victoria and her husband, the storehouses quickly filled with unique examples of decorative art, and now Victoria and Albert Museum is among the top 20 museum treasuries in the world. In the year of his exhibition visit up to 3 million people. In the halls are presented not only products of decorative art, but also theatrical exhibits, sculptures, paintings, samples of fabrics from different eras. The museum was created to raise the level of education of the broad masses and was to promote the emergence of new ideas among British fashion designers. From these lofty goals the museum has not refused and nowadays invites to numerous exhibitions completely free of charge.

The Madame Tussauds Museum

The idea of ​​creating the London Wax Museum was realized by the French sculptor Maria Tussauds, and now the museum's branches are located in 14 cities around the world. In 1777, Maria created her first wax figure, depicting Voltaire, and in 1835 she opened in London a permanent exhibition of her collection. Significant interest of the public was attracted by the Cabinet of Horrors, consisting of the figures of the participants of the French Revolution, and a collection of wax figures of celebrities - philosophers, politicians, military men. Since 1984, the Madame Tussauds Museum is located on Marylebone Road, it is visited annually by more than 2.6 million people, who dream of looking closer to famous personalities and making unusual photographs.

Museum of Sherlock Holmes Museum

(The Sherlock Holmes Museum)

By the time of writing the stories and stories of A. Conan Doyle, the address on which the genius detective lived, did not exist. But over time Baker Street was extended, and the address "221b Baker Street" was embodied in real life. It was at this address that fans of Sherlock Holmes sent numerous letters and made excursions. Later on the street in the 4-storey building was created the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and on the facade a sign appeared, informing passers-by about living here in 1881 - 1904. Detective Sh. Holmes. The rooms of the great detective can be inspected on the second floor, and Dr. John Watson and Mrs. Hudson "lived" on the third floor. Visitors can see here items familiar from the stories of A. Conan Doyle: the detective's fiddle, letters, his hat. Also in the Sherlock Holmes Museum it is possible to sit in an armchair by the fireplace or take a picture in the setting of a profitable house of the 19th century.

Covent Garden

The Covent Garden Quarter is considered a London landmark due to the Royal Opera House located here, the old Covent Garden market and the Royal Drury Lane Theater. Also in the quarter, tourists can see the London Museum of Public Transport, opened in a Victorian building in 1980. In the 17th century a famous "church" church was built in the quarter - the church of St. Paul. The quarter of Covent Garden is historically connected with the entertainment industry, there are 13 theaters and more than 60 pubs. The local market is mentioned in the play "Pygmalion" by JB Shaw.

London Town (China Town London)

Earlier, Chinese settlements in the cities of the world were called "china-town" quarters, but now they are tourist areas, including entertaining institutions and ethnic restaurant chains. In London, China Town is located in the Soho district, and the time of its birth is considered to be the 70s of the 20th century. Prior to this Soho was famous for its coffee shops and supermarkets, but traditional Chinese souvenir shops and Chinese restaurants actively replaced former owners. Now all the institutions of the quarter are marked with signs on hieroglyphs and provide for the popularization of Chinese culture. Celebrating the New Year in the Chinese calendar is held in London's Chinatown with theater productions, processions of mythical animals and a lantern festival. Numerous tourists specially visit London these days to attend the annual ceremony.

Leicester Square

Leicester Square is rightly considered the place of fashionable and non-poor youth, the center of local show business. Here are the largest cinemas ("Empire"), restaurants, Swiss cuisine and brand name brands. Not far from Place Leyster lived Sir Isaac Newton, so here you can see his sculpture. Tourists visit Leicester Square for the sake of mechanical presentation on the wall of one of the buildings. At a height of 4 meters, you can consider a 5-minute action with the figures of peasants who are engaged in ordinary household chores: mow the grass, knead the dough ... At the ticket office on Leicester Square you can buy unsold tickets to the theaters of the West End for half the price.

Selfridge and Oxford Street

Oxford Street - one of the main shopping streets of Westminster, which unites a lot of brand shops and department stores. The duration of the street is up to 2.4 km, where more than 550 retail spaces are located. One of the most famous department stores in Oxford Street is Centelfridges. The founder of the trading giant, Henry Selfridge, embodied successful marketing moves in the organization of trade and was able to convince buyers that buying is not an ordinary necessity, but a time for wonderful discoveries. The principle of "the buyer is always right" and the design of showcases in the style of a magical holiday helped the founder expand the commercial business. In 2010, Selfridge was recognized as the best modern store in the world. 50 thousand square meters. Meters accommodate fashion boutiques, beauty salons, furniture departments, perfume shops and jewelry stores. In London, you can find absolutely everything, as its founder dreamed.