The Tower of London

tower. It is the oldest building in London - one of the symbols of Great Britain. The Tower holds a special place in the history of the English nation. The fortress, built more than 900 years ago, has a grim look and an equally grim rich history.

The origins of the fortress date back to the time of Duke William's conquest of England. Fearing the vengeance of the inhabitants, the formidable conqueror ordered the construction of the fortress, which became the largest and most intimidating. The impregnable stronghold reliably protected the country's new masters.

mortar in the form of a massive rectangular tower. It was intended to serve as an impregnable royal residence, impressing the subjects. The southeast corner of this stronghold, being at the same time the wall of the chapel, protruded in a semicircle beyond the limits of the structure.

The building was whitewashed and called the White Tower. Over time, the stone box gradually expanded with towers and new additions. The length of the walls of the stone fortification is 32 and 36 meters, rising almost 30 meters in height.

King Richard the Lionheart made the Tower most formidable and impregnable. He ordered additional towers to be built, two rows of walls to be erected, a defensive moat seven meters wide and four meters deep, and earth fortifications with wooden paling on top.

London has also been a fortress, palace, repository of royal treasures, arsenal, mint, prison, observatory, zoo.

For centuries, its walls have witnessed human grief and tragedy. In the intrigues of the struggle for power, the castle's gloomy casemates were also drawn by the rulers. Rivers of blood were shed by the prisoners who spent their last days in the cells.

In the troubled times of the Reformation, many royals were tortured and executed within the walls of the gloomy prison - a threat to the peace of the English throne. The bodies were buried in the cellars of the castle chapel.

The first prisoner in the castle, which had been turned into a prison, appeared in 1190. From that time it became the place of imprisonment of high-ranking members of noble families.

crows. It is a famous symbol of the castle, also associated with its past. According to legend, crows are messengers of bad events. They have always appeared before the execution of those condemned to death.

Ever since the Tower began serving as a royal prison, entire raven dynasties have settled on the grounds. Their life has been littered with many legends. One claims that the Tower and the entire British empire will fall as soon as the crows leave it.

Surprisingly, in the 17th century King Charles issued a decree that six black crows had to be in the castle at all times. A special guard was to watch over it. Since then and until today, seven black crows - one spare - live in the spacious aviaries of the castle. For the fantastically free maintenance of the "keepers of the Tower" the state allocates a decent budget.

However, there was one unpleasant event in this story, which one tries to remember less often. In July 1941, after a massive bombing of the castle by German bombers, all but one of the crows died of stress. The British Empire itself, along with the castle, was on the brink of disaster at that very time.

Now the crows are protected as best they can, but any tourist can see them. They readily respond to their name - each one has its own name, as well as its original character.

London still exists today. Dressed in the uniforms of Queen Victoria's guardsmen, they guard the castle and give tours to visitors.

The medieval costume of the guards, in which they stay in our time, consists of a black round velvet hat framed with ribbons. The black cloth blouse with red patches, the coat of arms of England and the initials of the king on the chest arouse the interest and respect of visitors.

All of the guards in the Tower are called "Beefeaters," a literal translation of which means "meat-eater. This interesting nickname was attached in the 15th century. In times of widespread hunger among the common people, the guards of the Tower were always fed. Each of them received a huge piece of meat.

Queen's Keys" has been held in the Tower. A mesmerizing spectacle is before your eyes: the massive walls, the dim light of the lanterns, the heels of the guards, the red uniforms and bear hats resounding in the silence.

Every evening at 10 p.m., the Keeper of the Keys, lantern in hand, dressed in Tudor clothes, emerges from the Bloody Tower, the very place where King Edward's young heirs were deprived of their lives. Toward him comes the Keeper of the Keys. The guards close the main gate and go under the arch of the Bloody Tower. The Keeper of the Keys removes his hat and utters: "God save Queen Elizabeth!" Everyone responds: "Amen!".

The chief watchman then carries the keys to the commandant's room, where they are kept until morning. This solemn ceremony of handing over and keeping the keys to the castle has never been interrupted in 700 years. Only once was it delayed for half an hour in 1941 during a direct attack on the castle by German aircraft.

После этого главный сторож несет ключи в комендантскую комнату, где они хранятся до утра. Эта торжественная церемония передачи и хранения ключей от замка ни разу не прервалась за 700 лет. Только однажды ее задержали на полчаса в 1941 году во время прямой атаки замка немецкими самолетами.

annually, and each of them admires the grandiose structure adjacent to the castle. It is a bridge with a unique design. 125 years have passed since it was built.

The bridge is suspended with a drawbridge and connects the walkways of the castle towers. Today it is a cultural center of the city: art exhibitions are held in the passageways of the bridge, there is a permanent exhibition about the rich history of the castle.