Oxford - one of the oldest cities in the UK - is the capital of Oxfordshire. Located in the southern part of the island, on the banks of the River Thames. The city is known around the world for the best and most prestigious University of England - Oxford.
Mentions and History
The first mention of the city dates back to the beginning of the 10th century. In the oldest chronicle of England, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, it is mentioned that a monastery was located on the site of the current settlement. Already at the beginning of the XII century, in order to educate the population of England in the city, the construction of the country's first university began, which later became the most popular educational institution not only in the state, but also in the whole world. It was thanks to students who came to this territory from all over the country that Oxford became a real city.
In 1355, a pogrom was committed, as a result of which the city on the Thames with an ancient university lost 63 students. Because of this, the settlement (or rather, its administration) had to pay 470 years (almost five centuries) a fine to an educational institution.
At present, there are about 160 thousand people in Oxford, of which about 30% are university students. The area of the city is 45 km 2 .
Climate
The city on the Thames has typical English, with frosty snowy winters and warm, humid summers, the climate. Due to its proximity to the sea, it can be called temperate. The average January temperatures are -8 ° C, July + 18 ... + 22 ° C.
Industry
In the north-west of the city at a distance of 90 km is the capital of England. Large motorways and railways pass through the city on the Thames, connecting the settlement with the major centers of the kingdom.
Industry is practically not developing here. On the outskirts of the city there was a car factory, which in the early 2000s fell into decay, but still operates today, producing models of BMW Mini cars. The entire economy of the city rests on the oldest university and wonderful historical sights.
sights
Particular attention should be paid to the Radcliffe Camera building. Within the walls of this building is one of the largest libraries in the world, numbering more than 2 million volumes of books.
The university also has other interesting sites. For example, Magdalena Tower - a Gothic architectural structure of the 15th century, Oxford Cathedral and the Botanical Garden, founded in 1621.
The city on the Thames has many museums. The most popular of them are also devoted to university subjects - the Museum of the History of Oxford, the University Museum of Oxford.
The city on the Thames has 6 twin cities - in Nicaragua, Germany, Holland, France, Sweden. The Russian city of Perm is also the twin city of Oxford.
Since the city is one of the oldest in the country, there are many historical sites that have survived to this day. The city attracts with its medieval Gothic architecture.
University and colleges
The city on the Thames has the most important attraction. And this, of course, is Oxford University. It is a separate administrative unit consisting of 38 colleges and 6 dormitories. A quarter of students studying at the university are foreigners. Women began to be accepted for study only at the beginning of the last century, and separate education was carried out before 1970.
The city on the Thames with the oldest university is home to famous and unique people - 4 thousand teachers, many of whom are members of the Royal Society and the British Academy. Directions for training students are carried out in 60 different scientific fields. In addition to education, Oxford University is also a research center with a powerful library base. Among university graduates there are about 50 Nobel laureates, a large number of famous scientists, artists. J. Swift, Stephen Hawking, Tim Berners-Lee, Thomas Hobbes, Margaret Thatcher - all of them at one time were university students.
A city on the Thames with a university has colleges on its territory. Each of them obeys Oxford - it is a special historical and architectural landmark. The largest educational institution of this type is Christ Church, built in 1525. This aristocratic college graduated 13 prime ministers of England.