Where is Leicester? Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England. The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester

At first glance, Leicester appears to be a thoroughly modern city, but a closer look reveals traces of a medieval and Roman past that lie directly west of the city's business and commercial district, close to the River Sor. The Romans chose this site to keep an eye on the rebellious Korieltauvi, or Coritani, and developed Leicester's predecessor, Reith Korioneltavori, a fortified city outfitted by Emperor Hadrian with huge public buildings, on the Fosse Way, a military road running from Cirencester.

After that, in the 8th century, the Danes colonized the city, and later, as its medieval castle became the main residence of the Earls of Leicester, the most famous of which was Simon de Montfort, who forced Henry III to convene the first English Parliament in 1265, starting from the end of the XVII century, Leicester was the center of the knitwear trade, and it was its production that attracted hundreds of immigrants from Asia who settled here in the 1950s and 1960s.

Today, roughly a third of Leicester's population is Asian, and the city elected its first Asian MP, Keith Vaz, in 1987. Leicester's Hindus celebrate two big autumn festivals, Navrati and Diwali, and the sizable Afro-Caribbean community gathers the second largest English street festival (after Notting Hill Carnival), the Leicester Caribbean Carnival takes place annually on the first weekend of August.

Leicester station is on the road, directly southeast of the city centre, while St. Margaret's bus station is located at the north end of the centre, next to Gravel Street. The center is visible from both places - the large shopping center "Haymarket" (Haymarket) is located between them, it is easy to navigate along it.

The travel agency is located a short walk south of Highmarket, 7-9 Every Street, Town Hall Square (Monday-Wednesday and Friday 9.00-17.30; Thursday 10.00 -17.30; Saturday 9.00-17.00; first class line).

There is no particular reason to stay overnight in Leicester, but there are enough business hotels near the center, within a 5-minute walk from the station. The travel agency also has a list of competitively priced Bed and Breakfasts, although most of them are out of town. They will help you find a place to stay, but this is rarely difficult, except during the Navrati and Diwali festivals.

• Accommodation in Leicester

1). Best Western Belmont House Hotel- Sophisticated chain hotel in a modernized and expanded George property about 300 yards south of London Road station. The hotel is popular with business workers. Weekend discounts. Location: De Montfort Street;

2). Holiday Inn Hotel– A good chain hotel, located in the middle of the ring road. Comfortable rooms, indoor pool, large fitness facilities. Weekend discounts. Location: 129 Saint Nicholas Circle;

3). Spindle Lodge Hotel“The hotel is an ivy-covered Victorian town house on a quiet bedroom street and has three floors. Ten minutes walk from the station, walk south on London Road, turn right onto De Montfort Street and then left onto Regent Road. Spindle Lodge is located at the junction of Regent Road and West Walk. Location: 2 West Walk.

Attractions Leicester

Most of Leicester's iconic sights are centered around the centre, within walking distance of each other. Municipal pride is the art collection at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery.

• Highmarket shopping center in Leicester

The most prominent building in Leicester's bustling center is undoubtedly the large, modern Haymarket Shopping centre, but the real symbol is the 1868 Victorian clock tower that stands in front of the Highmarket and marks where the seven streets meet. One of the seven is Cheapside, which leads to Leicester's open market (Monday-Saturday), one of the finest of its kind in the country, where young Gary Lineker, now the most famous football connoisseur and columnist, worked in the family business.

The good-natured Gehry remains a popular figure to this day, having been made an honorary citizen of the city, which gives him the right to herd his sheep in front of the city hall. Another of the seven streets is Silver Street (later Guildhall Lane), which leads to Saint Martin's Cathedral, a heavily restored 11th-century building with an ornately carved medieval porch.

Nearby is the Guildhall (February-November Monday-Wednesday and Saturday 11.00-16.30; Sunday 13.00-16.30; free), a half-timber building that served various purposes - the city hall, prison and police station. The most interesting part of the visit is the fragile Great Hall, its beams have sagged with time, but there are also a couple of old cells and the city gallows, on which the bodies of the hanged were exhibited for public viewing until the 1840s.

• Jewish Wall in Leicester

From the town hall, you can quickly walk west to Saint Nicolas Circle, a large traffic circle that is part of the ring road. Go around it to the right - there is a footpath - and you will see on the right, behind the church, the Jewish Wall (Jewry Wall) of Roman masonry, about 5.5 meters high and 22 meters long, which was formerly part of the public baths of Hadrian.

The project annoyed the emperor immensely: the great plan was spoiled by engineers who incorrectly calculated the line of the aqueduct, through which water was supposed to flow through the pipe, so that the washers had to rely on a cistern, which was poured by hand from the river.

• Church of Saint Mary de Castro and Jain Center

From the Jewish Wall, continue around St. Nicholas Circle, leaving the Holiday Inn on the left, then go down the first big street on the right, and opposite you will see the entrance to the castle gardens, a narrow strip of park that runs along the canalized section of the River Sor. The gardens are a pleasant place, they include an overly high mound where the grove of a Leicester Norman castle used to stand.

At the far end you exit to Newark. Turn left and follow the ring road, and after a couple of minutes you will reach Castle View, a narrow street that ends with the Turret Gateway, a rare relic of the former medieval castle that has come down to us.

Just behind the gate is the old church of St. Mary de Castro (Easter - October Saturday 14.00-17.00), where Chaucer may have been married. The church's crenellated leafy spire rises above a harmonious mixture of architectural styles, including some Norman features such as dog-toothed doors and a row of five seats in the chancel.

Behind the church, along the ring road, you can see the Gunpowder Store (Magazine Gateway) (not accessible), a combination of a medieval gate house and armory, now divided between two carriage houses. Cross the ring road, go right along Oxford Street and you will soon come to the Jain Center (Qain Centre), which occupies a converted Congregational Chapel dating from the 19th century.

The beliefs of the followers of Jainism are based on an incredible reverence for all manifestations of life - traditional customs include wearing gauze masks so as not to inadvertently inhale flying insects. The temple, one of the few of its kind in Western Europe, has a magnificently decorated white marble facade, visitors can enter the vestibule, or it is better to view the interior by prior arrangement.

• The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester

Jain Center is about a ten minute walk to the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery at 55 New Walk (Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm; free), the best museum cities. To get there from the center of Jain, go back to the beginning of Oxford Street, turn right onto Newark Street and go straight until you cross Newark Street - turn onto it. This is a pedestrian street that goes to Victoria Park.

The museum occupies a vast territory, its main attraction is an extensive collection of ancient art, mummies and tablets with hieroglyphs, brought to Leicester in the 1880s. There is also an excellent collection of paintings, including works by British artists such as Hoggard, Francis Bacon, Stanley Spencer and Lowry, as well as a host of nauseatingly sentimental romantic Victorian paintings, such as Charles Greene's The Girl I Left Behind (1880). .

In addition, and quite surprisingly, there is an extraordinary collection of German Expressionist works, mostly drawings, sketches, woodcuts and lithographs in the style of Otto Dix and George Groza. In particular, pay attention to the drawing of the coffins of two figures of the German revolutionary movement, Rosa Luxemburg Karl Liebknecht. From the museum about 10 minutes walk to the "Highmarket".

Food, drink and entertainment in Leicester

People come from miles around to eat at the Indian restaurants on Belgrave Road. The best ones are concentrated at the beginning of the road, near the exit from the center to the northeast, and this is where you can find the famous Bobby's, at number 154 (closed on Mondays). Check out Gugaratis, this slick, modern restaurant is vegan and doesn't use garlic or onions. Try their amazing Bobby's Special Chaat with many flavors.

Or you can go to Sayonara Thali, located at No. 49, which specializes in ready-made thali dishes with several different side dishes, breads and marinades served together on wide steel platters, while Chaat House, which is located opposite Sayonara Thali , at number 108, make amazing masala dosas and other South Indian appetizers.

The best restaurant in the city center is Opera House, at 10 Guildhall Lane, in beautiful old buildings and with a creative menu including dishes like wild mushroom ravioli (average price £13-20). Leicester's award-winning Phoenix Arts Center is centrally located on Newark Street, featuring a top-notch mix of comedy, music, theater and dance, while also hosting an independent cinema.

Outskirts of Leicester (Belgrave and National Space Center)

Starting about a mile northeast of the center, the terraced houses crowd into the neighboring suburb of Belgrave, the center of Leicester's Asian community. Both Belgrave Road and its extension to the north, Melton Road, are populated by Indian and Pakistani jewelers, sari shops, Indian music shops and curry houses.

It's never boring here, but Sunday afternoons are especially enjoyable when the locals are strolling the streets in smart clothes. Belgrave hosts two major Indian festivals: Diwali, the Festival of Light, is held in October or November, when six thousand lamps are lit along Belgrave Road and 20,000 people come to watch the light being lit; and Navrati, an eight-day festival in October in honor of the goddess Ambaya.

On the outskirts of Belgrave, next to the A-6, 2 miles north of the city center, is the National Space Center (Study time Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-17.00; school premises daily 10.00-17.00; entrance closes at 90 minutes before closing; £12, children (5-16 years old) £10).

It is dedicated to space, science and astronomy, with a number of themed galleries exploring everything from the planets to the Earth's orbit. The emphasis is on the interactive, which makes this place very popular among children. Bus number 54 connects the station and the Highmarket with Abbey Lane, which is a five-minute walk from the center.

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Leicester from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Leicester.

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The largest city in the East Midlands and the most cosmopolitan in the UK, it is located on the banks of the River Soar. Leicester is the city of the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, King Richard III (1452-1485), whose death in the battle of Bosworth in the vicinity of Leicester marks not so much the end of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses as the end of the Middle Ages in England. Richard III was the last English king to die on the battlefield. The remains of Richard III, thought lost for five centuries, were found in the summer of 2012 in the city center and reburied at Leicester Cathedral in 2015. Opposite the cathedral is a thematic museum of Richard III.

The City Visitor Center (Visit Leicester) is located at 51 Gallowtree Gate, Leicester LE1 5AD.

How to get there

The nearest airport is East Midlands located in Leicestershire between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham. Skylink Airport Buses depart from St Margaret's Bus Station every 20 minutes. The fare will be 10 GBP, travel time 1 hour.

National Express operates regular bus services between Leicester and Nottingham (journey time 1 hour) and Coventry (45 minutes). Buses depart from St Margaret's, located on Gravel St, north of the city centre.

From London St Pancras (journey time 1 hour 30 minutes) and from Birmingham (1 hour), trains arrive every half hour. Railway the canvas connects Leicester with Nottingham, Derby and Cambridge. And as an entertainment, you can go on a short trip on a real steam locomotive, which departs from Leicester North station and follows to the town of Loughborough. Along the route of this eight-mile double-track railway, Thomas Cook launched his original tour in 1841.

Prices on the page are for April 2019.

Search for flights to Leicestershire (nearest airport to Leicester)

Transport

The central part of the city is best explored on foot. The national carriers First Leicester and Arriva provide public transport services in and around the city. Stagecoach arranges transportation to Hinckley and Coventry.

Weather in Leicester

The climate is moderate and mild. During the winter months, the weather in Leicester is usually humid, especially in December and January, and sunny during the summer. The average temperature in July is 22°C.

In Leicester, it is worth visiting the National Space Center with six exhibition halls on the topics of space flight, astronomy and cosmology, with a 3-D cinema and a planetarium, souvenir shops and restaurants.

shopping

"Highcross" is the largest shopping center in Leicester, which presents well-known brands of clothing, footwear, home goods, chain stores, cafes, restaurants. Private shops and local businesses are located in The Lanes. Leicester enjoys a reputation as a popular vintage shopping destination due to its wide range of thrift stores as well as vintage clothing specialty stores. The city is famous for the market (Leicester Market), which has repeatedly ranked first in the ranking of British preferences as the best market in the country, in addition to being the largest covered-open market in Europe. The market is open from Monday to Saturday from 7:00 to 18:00. The market also has a Food Hall offering local meat and fish products. The Beaumont Leys Market is open Wednesday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Kitchen

Leicester is a great place to taste real Indian food! Taj Mahal, the oldest Indian restaurant in the city, is located on Highfields Street. A couple more Indian restaurants - Laguna and The Rise of the Raj - are located on Narborough Road and Evington Road. Indian vegetarian restaurants Sharmilee, Sayonara and Phulnath are also popular. And you can try national British cuisine at the Opera House restaurant at 10 Guildhall Lane Town Centre.

Leicester Attractions and Attractions

Leicester Castle, supposedly built in 1070, is located in the central part of the city. In its modern form, the castle complex includes the castle itself, the courtyard and garden surrounding it, the church of St Mary de Castro (the oldest building of which dates back to the 12th century) and the Great Hall of 1150.

In Leicester, many of the oldest architectural monuments have been preserved - these are medieval bridges of the 15th-17th centuries. - Packhorse Bridge in Ayleston, a suburb of Leicester, Belgrave Bridge in Belgrave and King William's Bridge in Ansteigh. Beaumont Leys earthen fortification, which includes the ruins of a Templar monastery, two embankments, a dam and a pond. The building of the Leicester Guildhall (now a museum), the earliest buildings of which date back to 1390, is open to visitors from February to November. The ruins of Saint Mary's Abbey of Leicester, founded in 1143 by Robert de Beaumont as an Augustinian community and located in the Abbey Park.

Of historical interest are the walls, which are believed to be preserved from ancient Roman public baths, and are one of the objects of the Jewry Wall Museum. The estimated age of the walls is 2000 years. The museum is located at St Nicholas Circle and is open to visitors daily from 9:00 to 16:30 from February to October.

And how many interesting museums in Leicester! What is one space center National Space worth with six exhibition halls on the subject of space flight, astronomy and cosmology, with a 3-D cinema and a planetarium, souvenir shops and restaurants. But the National Gas Museum has the largest collection related to gas and gas artifacts. The Abbey Pumping Station Museum, opened in 1891, acquaints visitors with the history of science and technology over a 200-year period. And the rooms of the Belgrave Hall Museum, built in the early 18th century. and being an example of the Victorian era, will provide a glimpse into the lifestyle of the upper middle class. Of the religious monuments of interest are the Leicester Cathedral and the Hindu temple Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal.

At the site of the Battle of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses on Bosworth Field, the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Center & Country Park is worth a visit. Among the museums in Leicestershire, we also note the second largest after London Fashion Gallery in Snibston Park (Snibston Discovery Park, Coalville). The exhibition is divided into seven thematic areas and includes 150 mannequins that show the history of fashion from the 18th century to the present.

Leicester is the birthplace of the famous artist Marie Ann Sloan (1867-1961). An exhibition dedicated to her was held in 2016 at the New Walk Museum & Art Gallery in Leicester.

Events

Leicester captivates with its cultural and ethnic diversity, because a large Asian community lives here, and Holi, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr are celebrated as part of religious holidays. Leicester annually celebrates the day of St. George the Victorious (Leicester St. George’s Festival). It hosts the Let's Dance International Dance Festival. The celebration of the religious Hindu holiday "Diwali" (or "festival of lights"), considered the largest outside of India, marks the victory of good over evil. And every August, Leicester meets the Leicester Caribbean Carnival.

Central England - Midland

• Where to stay: In a variety of hotels in Birmingham - it is always noisy and fun here, or in the "Queen of the Midland" and the fiefdom of Robin Hood, an old

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Leicester is located on the banks of the Saar River, in the central part, and is one of the most multinational cities. Of the 300,000 people who inhabit the capital of Leicestershire, a significant proportion are from the Asian continent, as well as representatives of various European countries. The huge tourist interest in the city is due to the rich history of this region, beautiful architecture and a whole scattering of cultural and historical attractions. Ancient bridges, exquisite decoration of temples, an abundance of museums and narrow picturesque medieval streets invariably delight even experienced travelers.

Most tourists do not use public transport while moving around the city, preferring to travel on foot, enjoying the picturesque landscapes of Leicester. Developed infrastructure and easy-to-use modern technologies enable guests of the city to quickly find themselves at the right point, without wasting time looking for the desired destination. Also, the tourism industry is excellently established here, including the presence of comfortable hotels with a wide range of services and travel agencies with all kinds of excursion routes for every taste. In addition, special Discover Leicester buses run around the city daily, heading towards the most interesting places and sights and which anyone can use.

One of the central objects worthy of attention in Leicester is the eponymous castle leicester, according to historical data, erected in the second half of the X century. It is located in the central part of the city and is a whole architectural complex, which includes a green picturesque garden, the ancient church of St Mary de Castro, dating from the 12th century, and the fort itself itself. A tower rises near the castle clock tower, considered one of the symbols of Leicester. The Leicester Guildhall Museum, located in the inner halls of the City Hall, has also gained great popularity among the guests of the city. There you can learn a lot of interesting things about the history of both the entire region and the city as a whole. For lovers of historical artifacts of great interest is abbey park, on the territory of which the ruins of the Leicester Abbey of St. Mary, which was born in 1143 and founded by a representative of the Augustinian community, Robert de Beaumont, have been preserved. At the Jewry Wall Museum, visitors have the opportunity to see the architectural fragments left over from the bathing complex of Roman baths that were located here many centuries ago, as well as appreciate the strength and appearance of the armor of Roman soldiers, along with examples of Roman mosaics. Fans of astronautics and everything related to the vast expanses of our universe can pay attention to the unique space center National Space, which has several rooms on space and astronomical topics. Also in the center there is a 3D cinema, a planetarium, several restaurants and souvenir shops.

Leicester's main religious building is Cathedral of Saint Martin, in the walls of the central part of which is the tomb of King Richard III. Interestingly, a mysterious legend is associated with this place, according to which King Henry VII, who had no love for his predecessor, ordered the body to be stolen from the coffin when it was on the territory of the Greyfriars Church and thrown into the river. The servants of the current monarch complied with the order, and an empty coffin was taken to St. Martin's Cathedral, without the remains stored in it. Subsequently, the loss was discovered, but in order not to provoke discontent and not aggravate the atmosphere among the local population, the church ministers decided not to dwell on this topic and put an empty tomb in the church. Of course, this is just a legend, but after all, no one has opened the coffin of Richard III for a long time either. You can admire the city landscapes from a bird's eye view by visiting the observation deck of the Ibis Leicester City hotel, where guests are also invited to spend a romantic evening in a cozy restaurant. An excellent place for walking and enjoying the clean Leicester air are excellent parks, including the magnificent university botanical garden, and green gardens with famous English lawns, where citizens and guests of the Leicestershire county capital like to have picnics.

Considering that Leicester is a multinational city, dozens of various restaurants, cafes and eateries from different countries are located here. Therefore, on city streets you can often find places with Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, French and even Russian cuisine. There are especially many Indian restaurants, among which it is worth paying attention to the oldest of them - Taj Mahal on Highfields Street, as well as Sharmilee and Phulnath on Rise of the Raj. As for classic British cuisine, it is widely represented in the Opera House, in Guildhall Lane Town Center. The most common place to shop is the large-scale Highcross shopping complex, as well as the Beaumont Leys market with an incredibly diverse range of goods. You can fully appreciate the hospitality and cheerful disposition of the locals during the numerous festivals, among which stand out the day of St. George the Victorious and the Hindu holiday "Diwali", accompanied by colorful processions with fiery torches.

Leicester enjoys a mild temperate climate with wet but relatively warm winters and sunny summers. In the period from May to September, the average air temperature is +22 degrees, while almost all the sunny days of the year fall on this time period. From December to January, the thermometer fluctuates around +3 - +4 degrees with frequent rains, followed by snow. However, frosts are also not uncommon for this region, and sometimes the air temperature drops quite significantly below zero. The best time to visit Leicester is during the summer, when the weather allows you to emphasize all its natural virtues, and rain and snow do not interfere with enjoying the beauty of man-made.

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4,180 people/km²

(English)