For a place with a strong industrial heritage, Birmingham does not have the large range of historical attractions you may expect, however, this is offset by the arts being extremely well-represented. Aston Hall, Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Cadbury World, IKON Gallery, Sarehole Mill
Birmingham (the h is silent, and, in the local dialect, the g is hard, as in Birming-gum) was at the heart of the UK's industrial revolution, and its wealth was built upon the multitude of trades that were spawned. This led to a massive canal network, with more miles of canals than Venice (though they're very different types of canal).
Much of the city centre was destroyed during the Second World War, and the replacement buildings added little to the city. However, since the 1990s, Birmingham has been undergoing a radical change and many of the post war buildings have been replaced.
During the last few years Birmingham has developed enormously as a regional shopping centre, with the old Bull Ring complex (once a notorious 1960's eyesore) being demolished to make way for a large shopping centre that includes Selfridges. There are also a number of lesser known shopping centres located near to the Bull Ring complex [102] such as the Pavillions, The Mailbox [103] and the Pallasades (The Mall), which is located directly above New Street Station. The principal shopping streets are New Street, High Street and Corporation Street. All include the usual assortment of high street chain-stores and discount outlets.
Birmingham – miasto (city) i dystrykt metropolitalny w Wielkiej Brytanii, w Anglii, w hrabstwie metropolitalnym West Midlands.
Cały ośrodek metropolitalny (wraz z m. in. Coventry, Wolverhampton, Solihull, Tamworth, Dudley, Walsall) jest drugim pod względem ludności (po Londynie) w Wielkiej Brytanii – zamieszkuje go ok. 6 mln osób.
Ważny ośrodek przemysłowy (m. in. zakłady Rovera i Cadbury), kulturalny (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Electric Light Orchestra, Napalm Death, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, której dyrygentem był przez trzy lata Andrzej Panufnik) i akademicki (trzy uniwersytety).
Birmingham ma rozbudowany system kanałów, które łącznie są dłuższe od kanałów w Wenecji.
W mieście znajdują się stacje kolejowe Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham New Street.
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