[ Zurück zur Startseite ]

a city which changed from an ugly duck into a beautiful swan

Against its bad reputation the city doesn't have to fight any more. For many decades Newcastle upon Tyne was an unattractive and boring town. The inconspicuous industry metropolis in the Northeast of England suffered under its tourist hostile image as a coal centre. But the coal hasn't been supported any more for years. The coal hills were planted with grass for a lot of money. The coal export harbour is very important for North England. Typical for the industry town is the ship-, plane- and enginebuilding. Iron-, machine- and chemical industry is very important too. The big city on the River Tyne meanwhile has turned into to a pearl of the north. Newcastle is not only a gate to Scotland and to the English Lake District, the town is most of all the starting point for short trips in the picturesque countryside, to Northumbria.

Newcastle upon Tyne is the capital city of the North of England and has about 300.000 inhabitants. With its neighbour towns of Gateshead and Sunderland it constitutes the Conurbation Tyneside.

The history:

Newcastle upon Tyne can look back on a history of 2000 years. The city was constituted as a Roman settlement which was called Pons Aelius. In 1080 the castle was built which gave the city its name. Hadrian's Wall which was build in 122, was the northem border of the Roman Empire. The relices of the 'Limes' can be visited west of Newcastle.

The landmarks:

The modern mall on Eldon Square, for example, is one of the many landmarks of Newcastle. The six bridges, which are close together are the main landmarks of the town. The Americans awarded Newcastle upon Tyne with the prize of the eighth best PARTY TOWN IN THE WORLD!!

The Geordies:

The inhabitants of the Northeast are calles 'Geordies'. They speak an unintelligible dialect. The other English don't understand the language they speak. The Geordies are very humorous, strong in character and warmhearted.

The River Tyne:

The Tyne in the Northeast of England is 130 km long. It is devided in to the North and in the South Tyne. The North Tyne is 52 km (from the Chevoit Hills) and the South Tyne is 54 km (from the Pennines Chain) long. Near Hexham they unite to become the Tyne, which flows into the North Sea.

The sights and landmarks:

The most important bridges are: High Level Bridge, Swing Bridge, Tyne Bridge, Queen Elizabeth II. Bridge, King Edward Bridge, New Redheugh Bridge and the Millenium Bridge. There are many museums, for example the bagpipe museum. The gothic cathedral (14th century), the castle (12th century) and the university (built in 1852) are famous tourist attractions, too. Newcastle was the first city which had an electrically lighted street. The city has a seamanly tradition and invented the first turbine ship in the world.

Nachgeschlagene Wörter:

Julia Hartung
Natalie Deubler
Larissa Kranz

[ Zurück zur Startseite ]