London- Places of interests

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