Birmingham is Britain's second largest city and is situated right in the heart of England. Friendly, bustling and thriving, Birmingham is one of our most visited cities and welcomes visitors all year long. Whether you come to Birmingham on business or pleasure, you will be delighted by the variety of things to see and do.Home to the famous City of Birmingham Orchestra, and Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham is a city of world class culture. Discover Birmingham's history in the museums and art galleries, stroll through it's centre and enjoy the diversity of shopping, from well known department stores to intriguing shopping malls and street markets.
Birmingham is the perfect base to tour from. You can enjoy outings to the historic and beautiful places in the Heart of England, which are all close by and surround the city.Steeped in history and mentioned in the Domesday Book, records show that Birmingham was producing knives and tools as early as 1538. By 1639, Birmingham was manufacturing arms and supplied swords to the Parliamentarian side during the Civil War. When James Watt and Mathew Bolton perfected the design of the steam engine, in the late 18th century, Birmingham's proximity to the coal and iron deposits in north Warwickshire, quickly enabled it to become the principal centre of commerce and industry.
Earning it the title of "the city of a thousand trades" because of its vast diversity of manufacturing. Birmingham is still an important manufacturing centre today, producing among many other things, Chocolate, Cars and Jewellery.Birmingham has always been a progressive city and has made innovative diversification: Recognising the potential of convention business, Birmingham has turned itself into one of the great meeting places in Europe, and home to three of the most prestigious venues of events and conferences.
Situated in the city centre is the International Convention Centre, which hosts meetings of world leaders in industry and politics. Members of the public are welcome to visit the centre, where they can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere. The ICC is also the home of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, in an elegant hall renowned for its wonderful acoustics.
For many visitors to the UK, Birmingham is not one of the first cities they would think to visit - London, Edinburgh and York are much more likely choices.So you may be surprised to find out the Birmingham is, in fact, Britain's second largest city.
Perhaps the reason that Birmingham is so easily overlooked by tourists is its strong association with industrialization, which gives the tourist mental images of roads, tower blocks and factories belching out smoke.But don't be misled. Birmingham actually has a lot going for it. Recent years in particular have seen a massive rejuvenation of the city and today Birmingham is much more a cultural centre than an industrial wasteland
