York

Country: United Kingdom · 208,400 inhabitants · Founded: 71

Attractions

Wikivoyage

The ancient cathedral city of York has a history dating back over 2000 years. Romans, Saxons, Vikings, and Britons from all eras have each left their mark. It is home to some of Europe's best-preserved historical buildings and structures, including York Minster and dozens of other churches, the Shambles medieval shopping street, countless handsome townhouses, and the city's walls and gatehouses. Other popular attractions on the bucket lists of York's eight million annual visitors include the Jorvik Viking Centre and Britain's National Railway Museum.

York is in North Yorkshire, England, and is the unofficial capital of the entire region of Yorkshire. The city is a perfect base for exploring "God's own county", having some of the finest hotels around, and all the comforts and amenities of a large city, while retaining the atmosphere and scale of a small town. York's shops, markets, pubs, and restaurants delight in offering Yorkshire-made produce, so you will find it difficult not to overindulge.

A UNESCO City of Media Arts, York has a festival for every occasion, celebrating everything that has shaped the city's culture over the centuries: music, dance, chocolate, theatre, literature, horseracing, digital media. Whatever time of year you come, you're sure to find a gig, show or exhibition that tickles your fancy.

So, plunge forward, and discover York!

Wikipedia

York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a minster, castle and city walls, all of which are Grade I listed. It is the traditional county town of Yorkshire, and the administrative centre of the City of York district. It is located 27 miles (43 km) north-east of Leeds, 90 miles (140 km) south of Newcastle upon Tyne and 207 miles (333 km) north of London. York's built-up area had a recorded population of 141,685 at the 2021 census.

The city was founded under the name of Eboracum in AD 71. It then became the capital of Britannia Inferior, a province of the Roman Empire, and was later the capital of the kingdoms of Deira, Northumbria and Scandinavian York. In the Middle Ages it became the northern England ecclesiastical province's centre, and grew as a wool-trading centre. In the 19th century it became a major railway network hub and confectionery-manufacturing centre. In the Second World War York was bombed in the Baedeker Blitz. Although York was less targeted during the war than other, more industrialised northern cities, several historic buildings were gutted and restoration took place up until the 1960s.

Historic local governance of the city was as a county corporate, not included in the county's riding system. The city has since been locally governed as a municipal borough, county borough, and since 1996, a non-metropolitan district (the City of York), which also includes surrounding villages and rural areas, and the town of Haxby. The current district's local council, City of York Council, is responsible for providing all local services and facilities throughout this area.