Royal Capital

London

Culture, History & Modernity

The pulsating capital of the UK on the Thames combines royal grandeur with cosmopolitan flair – from Big Ben and Tower of London to the British Museum and Victorian terraces of South Kents. London is a city where history and the present coexist side by side.

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0 Residents

1572 km² Area

0 M Tourists per year

1066 Norman invasion

About the City

London – The City on the Thames

London is the capital and, with around 9 million residents, the largest city in the UK. It lies on the River Thames, which flows through its heart and divides the city into north and south. For over 2,000 years London has been the cultural, economic and political centre of the British Isles.

The city was founded in AD 43 by the Romans as Londinium and developed over the centuries into the most powerful city in Europe. After the Norman invasion of 1066 it grew into a medieval royal city, in the 17th century into the centre of the scientific revolution, and in the 19th century into the capital of the greatest world empire of all time.

World-famous are the Victorian and Georgian architecture, the royal residences, the great museums and galleries, the famous parks, and the unmatched charm of its streets. No wonder the city attracts around 25 million international visitors every year.

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