London

Located in the London borough of the City of Westminster, Buckingham Palace is the official residence... of Queen Elizabeth II in London. With over 600 rooms divided across three floors around an inner quadrangle, it serves as a place of reception for state guests and as a residence. The Queen’s 13 private rooms are located in the north wing. One can tell whether the Queen is actually at home by looking at the flag: the royal standard is flown when she is in residence, while the Union Flag is raised during her absence. Constructed between 1702 and 1705 by William Wide as a large townhouse for John Sheffield, the Duke of Buckingham, the building was expanded several times over the following years. It was bought by King George III in 1761 to serve as a private retreat. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to use the palace as her official residence in 1837. The prestigious Marble Arch was constructed by architect John Nash at the Queen’s request as an entrance for state guests; the Arch can today be found in Hyde Park. Victoria also arranged for the construction of the east wing with the famous balcony according to plans drawn up by Edward Blore. King Edward VII oversaw a redesign of the palace’s interior in the style of the Belle Époque. Tourists have the opportunity of viewing some of the magnificently decorated state rooms, the huge ballroom, and the garden from the end of July until September. Royal collection masterpieces by Rembrandt and Rubens can also be admired. Interested parties are encouraged to apply in good time, as demand is always huge. The Royal Mews is open to viewing all year long by means of an exhibition. Another popular event is the traditional changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace. This takes place every day from May until June and every second day from August until April. more

The popular road junction in London’s West End connects Regent Street with Piccadilly and also serves... as the intersection for several important streets in the city. The triangular area was built in 1819 and partially redesigned at the turn of the 21st century. Piccadilly Circus forms the center of the intersection and is famous for its oversized, illuminating advertising billboards that can now still only be found on the unnamed corner building on Shaftesbury Avenue. Companies such as McDonalds, Samsung and Coca-Cola all use this site to advertise their brands. Another attraction is the Eros fountain, which was originally christened the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in 1893 and quickly became a popular meeting point for Londoners. The most prominent buildings on Piccadilly Circus can be found next to the billboard-laden corner house, namely the London Pavilion, which houses a shopping centre, and the Criterion Theatre, which contains underground stage areas. more

Big Ben is certainly one of the most famous landmarks in London, although most people are completely... unaware that the name Big Ben does not actually refer to the whole clock tower, but rather just to the largest of its five bells. The chime of this bell is popularly called ‘The Voice of Britain’. The bell’s globally recognised tune is based on a phrase from Handel’s ‘Messiah’. The building as a whole, originally called ‘The Clock Tower’, displays the largest clock in the country: the tower is almost 100 meters tall, the diameter of the clock faces is 8 meters long, and the minute and hour hands are four and three meters long respectively. It looks particularly spectacular at night when both the tower and the clock are illuminated and they radiating light in the darkness. Big Ben is part of the Houses of Parliament, collectively referred to as the Palace of Westminster. The entire building complex is a monument in the new Gothic style and is the meeting place of the two houses of British parliament. more