Manchester is a Ville in the North-West of the England of 422.300 inhabitants in 2001, Mancuniens. The city is in the center of a great agglomeration of two million and half of people whose principal cities are: Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Stockport, Salford, Altrincham, Wigan.

Blasonnement

Of mouths with three raised gold bands, the chief of money charged with a ship sailing on a sea, the whole with the naturalness.

The term “Manchester” is used as well for the agglomeration as the downtown area.

History

Manchester was occupied by the Romains (it was then known like Mancunium or Mamucium , from where the name for a resident of Manchester of “Mancunian”). A counterpart of a strong Roman exists in the district of Castlefield.

In XIVe century Manchester accommodated a community of Flemish weavers who produced wool fabrics and cloths.

Manchester was an essential actor of the Industrial revolution. Its wet climate made of it with the surroundings ideal place for the mills with cotton like the Quarry Bank Mill. Its growth was also helped by the proximity with the port of Liverpool and the creation of a railway network and channels.

Friedrich Engels was a notable visitor with the beginning of the year 1840. Sent by his father to supervise one of his factories, it was shocked by the living conditions in the city and wrote a report in 1844 pennies the title of Conditions of the working class in England .

Work monsters made it possible to open in 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal, channel giant connecting the city to the ocean. This made of Manchester, to 40 km of the coast, one of the English main ports.

The city suffered during the Second world war where it was bombarded with repetition by the Luftwaffe.

In the post-war period, traditional industries started a fatal decline and were gradually replaced by an economy mainly tertiary.

To 11:20 on Saturday, June 15, 1996, the WILL GO exploded a bomb of 1.500 kg explosives in a van on the Street Corporation close to the crossroads with Market Street. It heaviest was ever used on the ground of Great Britain. Fortunately, alarm had been given in the previous hour what had allowed the evacuation of the zone, but 206 people were neat especially for the glares of glass and the remains. Most of the center was seriously damaged and more 50  000 m ² of trade and 25  000 m ² of offices last being rebuilt. It was the occasion of an immense operation of urban improvement including districts like Hulme and Salford.

In 2002 the plays of the Commonwealth were held there successfully. The principal stage was reconverted in stage of Football.

Culture

Art

Manchester was the residence of the writer Elizabeth Gaskell, who described in two of his novels the beginning of industrialization (middle of the XIXe century) by taking for base his life in Manchester. Its first news, Mary Barton, take seat there; its novel adapted successfully by the BBC, North and South , is placed in the industrial town in full expansion “Milton”, which is only one pseudonym of Manchester. She was admired by Dickens, wrote a biography of Emilie Brontë, and remains traditional English literature.

Music

The orchestra Hallé is based with the Bridgewater Hall.

Place which sees the emergence of good number of groups Post-punk then of House in the years 1980, Manchester holds a big role in the young movement and the Contreculture with the the United Kingdom. Among the multitude of groups resulting from the city one can quote The Hollies, 10cc, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Joy Division/New Order, The Durutti Column, John Cooper Clarke, has Certain Ratio, Section 25 and the other groups of the label Factory, like The Fall, The Smiths, Morrissey, Happy Mondays or 808 State. Much of them occurred then in the famous club founded by the Factory named Hacienda. In the years 1990, other mancuniens groups are born, such as the Stone Roses, famous the Oasis but also Badly Drawn Boy, and during the year 2005 with Kill The Young (young rock group), nevertheless more known in France.

The scene of Manchester thus gave rise to the movement named Madchester, gathering pop groups such as the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Charlatans or Primal Scream, the latter born at the end of the years 1980. For a few years, formations like Kasabian, The Rapture or The Music have seemed to give again life with this scene.

Theaters

There are several theaters of which that of the library, Royal Exchange, the Opera House and the De luxe hotel.

Structure

The buildings which have an architectural interest include/understand:

  • the Imperial War Museum North (museum of the northern imperial war) and the pedestrian bridge Lowry by Daniel Libeskind;

  • the Library John Rylands, Deansgate;

  • the central Library of Manchester, square St Peter, by Vincent Harris;
  • the Town hall of Manchester by Alfred Waterhouse;
  • the bank Midland (now HSBC), King Street by Edwin Lutyens;
  • gardens of Piccadilly by Tadao Ando;
  • Royal Exchange;
  • the complex G-Mex (in the past station of Central Manchester);
  • the Trinity bridge above the Irwell by Santiago Calatrava.

Media

The principal daily newspaper is the Manchester Evening News which divides its offices on Deansgate with the antenna of the Guardian (here founded in 1821 but whose head office was moved with London in 1964) and it there four principal radio stations: BBC GMR, Key 103, Century FM and Smooth FM.

Universities

There are two Université S: Manchester University and the metropolitan University of Manchester. Together with the neighbor of Salford and the Royal Northern College off Music, they train the largest population of students in Europe. Manchester University is the result of a fusion between the university of Manchester and the UMIST (which was the scientific campus)

Sports

The Football is the sport of reference, with one of the strongest concentrations of professional clubs in the world, initially two large teams, Manchester United and Manchester City, a club amateur of supporters, United off Manchester which make already well speak about him and the clubs of suburbs Bolton Wanderers, Bury Football Club, Rochdale, Oldham Athletic, Stockport County and Wigan Athletic.

The agglomeration is also a high place of the Rugby to XIII, the clubs of Wigan Warriors, Salford City Reds, Leigh Centurions, Oldham Roughyeds, Rochdale Hornets and Swinton Lions, and takes into account moreover one professional club of Rugby to XV, the Sale Sharks.

The city also shelters one of the largest clubs of Cricket of England, the Lancashire County Cricket Club.

Transport

The railway network is detailed, with two important stations: Manchester Piccadilly (renovated in 2002) and Manchester Victoria. Piccadilly is the station serving the national lines. One finds also the stations of Oxford Road and Salford Central.

Metrolink is a system of Tramway S now managed by Serco. He concluded an agreement from purchase of nine oars of Flexity Swift of Bombardier Transport in April 2007.

There are several channels: Bolton & Bury, Rochdale, Manchester Ship Channel, Bridgewater, Ashton and the branch of Leigh of Leeds & Liverpool.

The airport is one of largest the United Kingdom.

Twinnings

External bonds

  • Mairie
  • Official site of tourism
  • The Official Manchester City Guides
  • BBC Manchester
  • Statistiques on the site of National Statistics
  • Encyclopédie on Manchester and its area

Nds-nl: Mesjester (Engeland) Simple: Manchester

Random links:Eddy Marnay | Gemcitabine | Sam Denoff | Rémy Grillot | Henri Fargues | Etymology of Manchester