Capital of great britain

London, a capital of Great Britain, is one of the biggest and the most interesting cities in the world.

London is a city of great contrasts. Its western part is the richest part of the town with its cosy mansions, beautiful avenues, shops, restaurants and hotels. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. There are splendid houses and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy people in the West End. Oxford Street is an endless shopping area which attracts visitors from all over the world.

The East End is the district inhabited by the workers and the poor. Quite an army of people live from hand to mouth in its slums and miserable houses lining dreary narrow streets. The buildings are unimpressive. Industry is chiefly found in that part of the city, gray with soot and smoke.

The heart of London is the City – its commercial and business center. Here is situated the Tower of London that comes first among the historic buildings of the city. If you want to get some glimpses of London it’s just from here that you had better start sightseeing.

The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it is a museum of armor and also the place where Crown Jewels are kept. In present days, just as many centuries ago, the Ceremony of the Keys takes place at its gates.

A twenty minutes’ walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building – St. Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect, Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723). St. Paul’s Cathedral with its huge dome and rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. In one of its towers one of the largest bells in the world, Great Paul hangs weighing about 17.5 tons. Wellington, Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral.

Not far away, in Westminster, where most of the Government buildings are situated, is Westminster Abbey. Many English sovereigns, outstanding statesmen, painters and poets (Nelson, Darwin, and Tennyson) are buried here. Westminster is the historic center of government. Until the 11^th century it was a sacred place. King Edward the Confessor decided to build a great abbey church here. The Abbey contains many royal tombs, memorials to eminent men and women. But the most popular ones are those to writers, actors and musicians in Poet’s corner.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. The Palace of Westminster was the royal residence and also the country’s main court of law. The present Houses of Parliament were built after the old palace was burnt down in 1834. The building contains the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two chambers where parliamentary business is debated. Its two graceful towers stand high above the city. The higher of the two towers contains the largest clock in the country and the famous bell Big Ben that strikes every quarter of the hour.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official London residence. It was built in 1702-1705 for the Duke of Buckingham. London’s most popular spectacle is Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

If now we walk along Whitehall, we’ll soon come to Trafalgar Square. It was so named in the memory of the victory in the battle of Trafalgar, where on October 21^st, 1805 the English fleet under Nelson’s command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. In the middle of Trafalgar Square Nelson’s monument – a tall column with the figure of Nelson at its top stands. The column is guarded by four bronze lions.

Not far away is the British Museum – the biggest Museum in London. It contains a priceless collection of different things (ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures). The British Museum is famous for its library – one of the richest in the world.

And now, even if you have almost no time left for further sightseeing, you can’t leave the city without visiting Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner. When you are walking along its shady avenues, sitting on the grass, admiring its beautiful flower-beds or watching swans and ducks floating on the ponds, it seems almost unbelievable that all around there is a large city with its heavy traffic and smoke. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St. James Park and Regent’s Park.