Salisbury

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Salisbury
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Coordinates 51 ° 4 ′  N , 1 ° 48 ′  W Coordinates: 51 ° 4 ′  N , 1 ° 48 ′  W
Salisbury (England)
Salisbury
Salisbury
Residents 40,302
administration
Post town SALISBURY
ZIP code section SP1, SP2
prefix 01722
Part of the country England
region South West England
Ceremonial county Wiltshire
Unitary authority Wiltshire

Salisbury [ ˈsɔːlzb (ə) ɹɪ ] (historical name New Sarum and Sorviodunum ) is a city in the English county of Wiltshire . It lies at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Wylye , has 40,302 inhabitants (as of 2011) and belongs to the Wiltshire Unitary Authority .

history

In the 4th century BC The Iron Age rampart Old Sarum was built in the 4th century BC . This was later used as a fortress by the Romans , the Anglo-Saxons and finally, from the 11th century onwards, by the Normans . Around the year 460, Salisbury Plain was the scene of the Night of the Long Knives , during which Celtic nobles were murdered by Anglo-Saxon mercenaries under the pretext of negotiations . Under Norman rule the settlement became a bishopric.

In 1220, Bishop Richard Poore of Sarum began building a new cathedral about three kilometers away in the valley south of the Old Sarum fortress. This was the nucleus of today's city of Salisbury , initially under the name New Sarum . Just seven years later, Salisbury received city ​​rights . In 1258 the cathedral was consecrated after 38 years of construction. More and more residents moved to the new city and Old Sarum was abandoned over time.

Salisbury was a textile manufacturing center. The college was one of the most prestigious in Europe . In the 17th century, the city became the scene of several battles during the civil war . This led to the decline of the city.

The industrial revolution passed Salisbury almost without a trace. To this day, the region has been shaped by agriculture and has no industry worth mentioning. In the second half of the 20th century, tourism became the city's main source of income.

Salisbury Plain has been used as a military training ground north and west of the city since the 19th century .

On March 4, 2018, the location reached the media worldwide because of an attack on the former Russian-British double agent Sergei Viktorovich Skripal and his daughter with a neurotoxin from the Novichok group .

Attractions

The most important building is the cathedral from the 13th century with its ornate west facade. (Work started in 1220, finished around 1258.) One of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta is in the cathedral . At 123 meters, the cathedral tower is the tallest church spire in England. It was retrofitted on the nave in 1315, neglecting to reinforce the supporting pillars of the existing cathedral. This meant that the statics of the tower had to be secured several times by additional supports. In the vicinity of the cathedral there are other architectural monuments such as the College of Matrons , The Close 32, 33 , Braybrooke House , Wren Hall and Hemingsby House .

Also worth mentioning is the large historic market square , a former center of the wool and textile trade, with various listed buildings such as Market Place 5 . The market square, which is dominated by the Guildhall , is also home to the Salisbury war memorial, erected in 1922, and the Henry Fawcett statue erected in 1887 . Other attractions include the Poultry Cross market cross , the preserved North Gate , the Sarum St. Thomas and Edmund Church , several well-restored historic half-timbered houses , such as 11, 13 , 50 , 52, 54 and 48 Silver Street -52 , as well as the shopping street Old Georg Mall , behind the old guest house The Old George Inn , which was created through the expansion of former horse stables. Other architectural monuments include The Red Lion Hotel , the Salisbury Market Hall , built in 1859, or the 19, 21 Winchester Street house, which dates back to around 1500 . A house that its owner built from the timber of rigged ships is also of tourist and historical interest.

Sights in the surrounding area

  • On the northern outskirts is the Old Sarum castle with its Norman fortress.
  • Stonehenge is approximately eight miles north of Salisbury.

traffic

Salisbury has rail links to London , Southampton , Portsmouth and Exeter . The city lies on several well-developed interurban roads and is about 25 km from the M27 motorway. The nearest airports are Bournemouth and Southampton each 40 km away and London Heathrow Airport approximately 100 km away .

sons and daughters of the town

literature

Trivia

Web links

Commons : Salisbury  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Salisbury (England)  - travel guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2011 Census Report for areas in England and Wales: Salisbury Parish. Office for National Statistics , accessed April 28, 2020 .