“York is a beautiful place: big enough to offer a vast amount of activities and cultural happenings, and small enough to make you feel at home.”
(Marit, Fordypnings Student Autumn 2007)
York is one of England’s most beautiful and interesting cities. It has a long and colourful history. The city was founded by the Romans in AD 71, and in AD 306 Constantine the Great was proclaimed Roman Emperor here. Later, Viking rulers like King Erik Bloodaxe called the city Jorvik, and made it their capital in the North-East of England.
In medieval times York was England’s second city, and it is still encircled today by its white stone walls with their impressive gateways, while the beautiful York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps, towers over narrow streets full of buildings of historical and architectural interest which have changed little in 500 years.
But York is also a modern city with good facilities for today's town-dweller. The city has cinemas, theatres, concert halls, shopping malls and exhibition centres, as well as some of the most notable museums in Britain, while the thriving central market place offers scenes of lively town life and many varieties of goods. The modern University of York, with its high international reputation, is about three kilometres from the city centre.
To find out more about York, why not visit the following sites, or simply come and see for yourself?
The Official York Tourism Website – contains details of places to visit, current events and festivals, and different restaurants and pubs in and around York.
Yorkshire Tourist Board – contains details of the history and attractions of the region.
York City of Festivals – information about current and upcoming festivals and events.
Interested in visiting then see our pages on how to get here:
Travel for short course students
Travel for fordypnings students
Last Updated: 2nd August 2011 by Beck
The Museum Gardens in Spring
“I absolutely LOVE York!! It is one of the most beautiful cities I know. I love its historical atmosphere, the narrow streets, the old buildings, the shops, the cafes, and, of course, the pubs!”
(Anonymous, Fordypnings Student Autumn 2007)
The Minster from the air
The Norwegian Study Centre,
University of York, Heslington, YORK, YO10 5DD. England. Enquiries | Legal Statements
Tel: + 44 (0) 1904 323235 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 323236
Email: nsc@york.ac.uk