London

London was founded in the first century AD by the Romans. They left London in the 5-th century. By the 8-th century London was again a busy trading centre. In the 11-th century it became the capital of England. Edward the Confessor built a palace and an abbey at Westminster. The Norman period saw the construction of the Tower.

Medieval London grew in importance as a trading centre and in 1215 its citizens won the right to elect their own Lord Mayor. London began to spread beyond the city walls during the Tudor and Stuart periods. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed three-quarters of the city. Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt St. Paul's Cathedral and designed 51 churches. During the 19-th century London spread into the suburbs. As a result of it new forms of transport were developed, including the underground railway system. Large areas of London were destroyed by bombs during World War II and the rebuilding that followed was of mixed quality.

Today Greater London consists of 33 boroughs, including the City, the West End and the East End. The City is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. All the historical places and famous parks are in the West End. It hosts museums and galleries, among them are the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, and the British Museum. In the West End there are Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace. The name "West End" is associated with wealth and goods of high quality.

The port of London was until recently in the East End. It was ari area of docks, unattractive in appearance, but very important in the country's commerce.