Places of interests:
There are two cities in the centre of London: the City of London and the City of Westminster. The City is the oldest part of London. Today it is the home to the financial district[1].
The city of London:
- the oldest part of the town, near the river Themes
- West End – shops, theatres and cinemas
- East End – the docks are situated here and many immigrants and workers live here
Tower of London - built by William the Conqueror in 11th century
- it was a royal palace before and then a prison
- it is a museum now with crown jewels (in the Jewel House) , weapons
- the White Tower is in the complex and it’s all white
- the tower is guarded by Yeomen Warders, who still wear Tudor uniforms
- six ravens are kept in the tower to protect the whole kingdom
Tower Bridge - several exhibitions in the two main towers concerning the history of the bridge
- the bridge can break in the middle to allow tall ships to go through
- it takes 90 seconds to raise the bridge
St Paul’s Cathedral - built by Sir Christopher Wren in the 17th century
- it stands on the place where the Cathedral which was destroyed in the Great fire used to stand
- it is built in the Baroque style
- it is the second largest church in the world
- inside there is also the Whispering[2] Gallery
- there were many famous occasions[3]: Churchill’s funeral service
the wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981
- Britain’s heroes are buried there (Nelson, Wren, Duke of Wellington)
The Monument - commemorating[4] the place where the Great Fire started
- it is 60 meters high
Other monuments - the other famous buildings are the Bank of London, the Stock Exchange, and
Lloyds insurance bank
The city of Westminster:
- known as a political and administrative centre
- familiar face of London
Houses of Parliament - political centre of the United Kingdom, the residence of the British Parliament
- rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style after the Great Fire, only Westminster Hall is original
House of Lords - in Gothic style, decorated in red with the throne of sovereign
- Woolsack where Lord Chancellor presides the House
House of Commons - consists of parallel rows[5] of green leather benches[6], which face the table where the mace is placed
- the Speaker presides this House
Big Ben - rises above the Parliament
- 97,5 metres high
- the name is not of the clock but of the bell
Westminster Abbey - monarchs are crowned and heroes buried here
- it was built in the 11th century
- there is a Coronation Chair with the historic Stone of Scone
- the Poet’s Corner is also there; some famous poets are buried there
Buckingham Palace - home of kings and queens of Great Britain
- built in 1703 by Duke of Buckingham
- the first monarch who lived there was the Queen Victoria
- outside the palace Changing of the Guard is a very big attraction
- the royal family occupies the north wing of the palace
- the royal Standard[7] is up when the queen is in the palace
Queen Victoria Monument - in front of Buckingham Palace
- commemorates the queen
- the Mall goes down from the palace (expensive shops, gentlemen’s clubs)
Trafalgar Square - largest square in London with busy traffic
- the square commemorates the naval victory of Admiral Lord Nelson over the French and Spanish fleet
- in the middle there is Nelson’s Column (50 m high) with Nelson’s statue (5 m)
- the column is surrounded by four statues of lions
National Gallery - on Trafalgar Square
- owns one of the greatest collections of Western painting from the 13th to the 19th century
- pictures from many famous painters ( da Vinci, Rubens, Rembrandt, van Gogh, Monet, Manet)
- National Portrait Gallery is also there with photos of a famous people
Piccadilly Circus - there are a lot of colour advertisements
- in the middle there is a fountain with the statue of Eros, the God of Love
[1] ) okrsek, oblast
[2] ) šeptat
[3] ) příležitost
[4] ) připomínat
[5] ) řada
[6] ) lavice
[7] ) standarta
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