A capital of Great Britain is one of the biggest, oldest and interesting cities on Earth. Here the ancient history is harmonically combined with the latest technical and architectural achievements. Fashion, business and art meet here to create one of the most attractive destinations for those who tend to entertain, work or invest money.
The history of London began in 43 AD when the Romans appeared on the Thames banks and founded a settlement named Londinium. After the fall of the Roman Empire London had bad times and its resurrection began only in VII century. The first cathedral - St. Paul's Cathedral was raised in 604 AD.
During its history London was under the power of Normans and Vikings. In XI century the reign of the English was established by Edward the Confessor. A lot of outstanding kings and queens saw London. William the Conqueror was the first king to crown in the newly built Westminster Abbey in 1066. It was him who made London the richest and largest city in the whole kingdom. In 1191 Richard I presented self-government to London and the first mayor was elected.
XVI century became a time of the great changes for London. During Elizabeth I reign London population grew twice. Royal Exchange and The Globe Theatre of the notorious Shakespeare were opened. The next boom happened in XIX century - industrial revolution and conquest of new lands in Africa and Asia contributed a lot to London glory and prosperity. City population reached 6 millions by the end of the century. Even now it's not much bigger. The construction of the sewerage system let to improve the sanitary situation in the city. The first railway was launched in 1836 and the stations Euston (1837), Paddington (1838), Fenchurch Street (1841), Waterloo (1848) and King's Cross (1850) appeared. Then the time of the underground came. In 1863 the first subway line was built.
XIX became the century of significant construction for London. Trafalgar Square, National Gallery and Big Ben were built during this period. XIX century is also marked with the reign of one the greatest queens in the history - in honor of queen Victoria the entire epoch was called Victorian.
In XX century London was seriously damaged during World War II, but survived and became one of the most successful, richest and prestigious places on the planet. Now it's also the city of immigrants, a cosmopolitan city where everyone can find something appropriate.
There is no doubt that the coming Olympic Games of 2012 in London will make the city even more flourishing.
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