A Little History Of London

London is a great tourist destination, largely thanks to its history and how Londoners have had to preserve the legacy that has left them. For this reason it is important for the traveler to know a little about the history of London, and to understand a little better, this great city.

The earliest origin is Celtic London, but his first fortification was made by the Romans, who called it Londinium and found its usefulness as a port on the banks of the Thames. In this Roman London, became the capital of Britain and remained capital of the island of Great Britain for the rest of his story.

In the Medieval period is highly significant at Westminster Abbey. For in this abbey, which is not in Westminster Cathedral, were crowned the kings of England. This is also the time when it acquires its historical importance the Tower of London, it was the residence of the royal family until the end of the Norman period. London as Britain's capital and seat of the royal family and political power, expanded in all directions from the eighteenth century to the present day.

The famous Great Fire of London was in 1666, and was so devastating that reconstruction lasted ten years. With the Industrial Revolution London accelerates its expansion, becoming in the late nineteenth century the largest city in the world. And given this great expansion was not easy, because they had to provide services to a huge city, for the time. In order to manage this vast city was created in 1855, the Metropolitan Board of Works. Being replaced in 1889 by the County of London, an institution created to govern the whole of London.

In World War II, London was bombed by German planes, night after night. These bombings killed about 30,000 Londoners and destroyed entire neighborhoods. From the end of World War II expansion of London was slower, because it was more to rebuild the city to grow.

Now London is a modern and culturally active, living with the hope of organizing the 2012 Olympic Games, the first city in the world which organizes three editions of this global event.

Read our guide to travel to London and find out more useful information for London, with attractive as important as the London Eye.