General Information
Manchester is a major city and metropolitan district in the North West of England, historically significant for its role in the Industrial Revolution. In 2017, there were 545,500 inhabitants, and in the entire metropolitan area, which covers the territory of the Greater Manchester County, about 2.8 million inhabitants.
The Cheshire Plain lies in the southern neighborhood of the city, and the Pennin ridges in the north and west. The nearest large cities are Liverpool (56 km southwest) and Sheffield (56 km southeast).
History
The Manchester area was inhabited even before the Romans came to England. At the time they were marching against the Brigants, the Roman general Agricola had a fortress built on the east bank of the Irwell River. This temporary structure has undergone many reconstructions over the years and has become a major stop on the way north to the fortresses of Chester and York.
In the Middle Ages there was a fortified manor house. Around 1422, the nobleman and priest Thomas De La Warre donated this farm and the surrounding lands to the church to create a dormitory for priests, and began construction of a university church.
The dormitory now houses Chetham's School of Music, and the temple has grown into what is now Manchester Cathedral. Manchester became a major trading center in the area after receiving a royal market license in 1301.
Manchester - Quick guide
Manchester has a large number of buildings built from the Victorian period to the present. Most of the stately buildings reflect the city's original position as a center of cotton trade. Many former warehouses are now used for other purposes, but the original character of the city has been preserved.
Manchester is also characterized by a large number of skyscrapers. Much of it was built in the 1960s and 1970s. The tallest skyscraper in the city is Beetham Tower, which would be built in 2006, has a height of almost 169 meters.
In Manchester, there are monuments to many personalities and events that have shaped the city's history. The largest number of these monuments is located in Albert Square, in front of the town hall and in Piccadilly Gardens.
Among the most interesting are the Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Park near Canal Street, dedicated to the memory of the father of modern computer technology, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial commemorating the crisis in the textile industry in the north of England from 1861 to 1865 caused by the American Civil War and the B of the Bang, a remarkable sculpture , the highest of its kind in the UK, built to commemorate the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Interesting facts
The city is also known in the sports world, especially forManchester United and Manchester City football clubs and the Lancashire County Cricket Club. In 2002, the 17th Commonwealth Games were held here.
Manchester city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is notable for its location near a network of canals and mills, which saw the greatest development during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.
