Royal London

 Welcome to the capital of England and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. London is an ancient city with unique architecture possessing exquisite characteristic features and a completely different atmosphere. There are many interesting sights and amazing attractions in London. Let us introduce to you some of them.

The famous Tower Bridge is one of the main sights of the foggy city. It is a worldwide famous bascule bridge linking two banks of the Themes. It was built in 1894 and since then the bridge serves as the main highway in London. Whenever a tall vessel sails along the Themes, both bascules of the bridge are raised as much as the passing vessels highest point is, allowing them to pass through. The bridge's decks can be raised to 83o from the horizontal. It is totally raised only on special occasions, for example, to honor and show a sign of respect to especially significant people. The upper part of the bridge is used as a pedestrian zone. From there a magnificent view opens over the city. A whole museum is dedicated to the history of the Tower Bridge. Tourists also have access to the old engine room.

Another important sight in London is Buckingham Palace. With the advent of Queen Victoria the throne, the Palace became the official residence of British Royalty. The change of the Royal guard always attracts the attention and curiosity of tourists. A large number of art masterpieces are stored in the building itself and the adjacent courtyard. Visitors can access the Royal Gallery and the Royal Transport Park. Behind Buckingham Palace lies a picturesque private garden, which ranks as the first in size among other private gardens in London. The 19 State Rooms at the palace are regularly used by the Royal family to entertain guests on their State, ceremonial and official visits to the United Kingdom. From July to September, the Queen makes her yearly visit to Scotland allowing the palace to open up its lavish rooms to the public.

The grandiose British Museum awaits you in London. Its huge collection involves six million various cultural values. This is one of the largest museums in the history of mankind. The Museum has collected valuable exhibits throughout the world from ancient till modern times. It has started to work since 1759 due to the collection of Sir Hans Sloane. Collections of Mummies, antique marble statues from all over the world, and Rosetta stones are the most attractive exhibits of the museum. Besides the huge exposition, the Museum houses the equally famous reading hall of the British Library. The inner courtyard of the British Museum, opened in 2000, is marked as one having the largest glazed roof in the whole Europe.

And, perhaps, the most attractive place for tourists is the London Tower. In various epochs the tower implemented different functions; it used to be a prison, an arsenal, an observatory, a Royal Residence, a Monetary. Currently, it serves as a repository of British crown Jewelry and treasures. The construction of the given historical area was initiated by the order of William the Conqueror in 1078. Nowadays, it is the most visited attraction of the city storing armor, a collection of weapons, jewelry collection of the British crown. There is a legend which says that the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. There are seven ravens at the Tower today — the required six, plus one spare! Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left. In the coming years, the decree worked and the presence of six ravens in the territory of the London Tower has become a good tradition. During World War II only one out of six ravens survived. That is why Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered to bring new ravens to cover the loss. Since then the ravens serve in the United Kingdom as guardian soldiers and they can be fired for bad or not satisfactory service as other ordinary soldiers.