The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the most significant countries in Europe. Heir to the largest empire that has ever existed, it is the center of centuries of cultural traditions. Great Britain is the place where many famous writers, artists and musicians were born and worked. Throughout its history, it has influenced the culture of the whole world and has not become less significant at the present stage of development.
Layer
UK culture is often mistakenly associated with English culture. However, the latter is only part of the whole, although quite impressive. The state unites England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The peoples that make them up differ both in origin and traditions, and therefore the history of the culture of Great Britain is a constant interaction and penetration of national characteristics into each other. In addition, a noticeable imprint on it was left by the colonialpast. Traces of the influence of the peoples and territories that were in subjection are well felt in the culture of the state today. The reverse is also true: Great Britain had a significant impact on the development and formation of the language, some areas of art, as well as public institutions in Canada, Australia, South Africa, the USA, New Zealand and Ireland.
Foundation
On the territory of modern Great Britain in ancient times lived tribes of the Celts. At the beginning of our era, the Romans came to the islands, followed by the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons. All these peoples laid the foundation for the modern culture of the state, ensured its original multi-layeredness. The descendants of the Celts are the Scots and the inhabitants of Wales, and the Anglo-Saxons - the British. The Normans and Vikings also had a great influence on the emerging cultural traditions.
Familiar everywhere
UK culture and language are inextricably linked. As in any state that unites several nationalities, here you can hear different speech. The official language is English. Everyone knows about its prevalence in the world. International negotiations are conducted in English, tourists communicate. It is studied all over the world as a second language. This near-ubiquity is the result of the past influence of the British Empire.
Scottish and two Celtic languages, Welsh and Gaelic, are also actively used in the UK. The first one is well recognizable in Europe, the others more often remain within the borders of the state. Scottish and Gaelic are the national languages of Scotland. Welsh since ancient timesused in Wales.
Architecture
The culture of Great Britain is largely reflected in the buildings of ancient cities. Many tourists plan a trip to the United Kingdom specifically to admire the architecture of the island state, to feel the special atmosphere inherent in the northern countries.
The ancient buildings of England and buildings from the time of the Roman conquest, preserved on the territory of Scotland, as well as the modern architecture of cities are interesting. Great Britain accommodates a whole palette of styles. Here, walking along the streets, you can explore examples of classicism, Romanesque, Gothic and Anglo-Saxon trends. Famous architectural monuments of British culture:
- Westminster Abbey is a magnificent example of late Gothic. This is where British monarchs are crowned.
- Tower - a fortress founded in the second century AD, which was once a prison, a zoo, and a mint. Its walls remember William I and Richard the Lionheart.
- Trafalgar Square is one of the symbols of London.
- Big Ben is the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which has been counting time since 1859.
- The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.
- Ancient palaces of Scotland.
- Buckingham Palace.
It should be noted that such an abundance of architectural monuments should not be tried to cover in one trip - the impressions will be blurry. Great Britain deserves to be in itcome back more than once.
The Majesty of Nature
The United Kingdom is not only a place of man-made masterpieces. Here, a large number of attractions were created by nature itself, and the cultural and historical life of the state is inextricably linked with them. The famous White Cliffs of Dover have long welcomed travelers arriving from the continent by sea. Sung in many works, they gave the middle name to England. The name "Albion" comes from the Latin word for "white".
No less famous is Beachy Head, rising one hundred and sixty meters above the sea. Unfortunately, this beautiful chalk rock has a bad reputation: it has the third highest number of suicides in the world.
Literature
The culture of Great Britain is also a significant contribution to world poetry and prose. The works of English, Scottish and Irish authors have been translated into many languages and are, without exaggeration, in all libraries.
England gave the world Shakespeare. And although the opinions of scientists about his personality differ, his contribution to literature is invaluable. John Milton, Thomas More, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, the Bronte sisters, HG Wells, John Tolkien, Somerset Maugham and many others were born here at different times. Scotland is the birthplace of Arthur Conan Doyle and W alter Scott, Robert Lewis Stevenson and Robert Burns. Only the listing of these names demonstrates the greatness of the contribution of Great Britain to the worldliterature. Many genres originated here, and some stories captured the minds of millions of people around the world (the legend of King Arthur, Shakespeare's works, Tolkien's worlds).
Music
The culture and traditions of Great Britain are inconceivable without "musical accompaniment". A variety of destinations are popular in the state. On the streets you can hear both rock, jazz and heavy metal, as well as the national music of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The classical direction developed in the UK thanks to such composers as William Bird, Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Arthur Sullivan, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten.
Great Britain is the birthplace of the famous Liverpool Four. The Beatles have had a huge impact on pop music around the world. They are still the best selling band of all time. The idols of many music lovers from different countries appeared here: Queen, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and so on.
Visual Arts
The culture of Great Britain is also numerous art galleries, a considerable place in which is given to the works of authors born and working here. Their names and works are an integral part of European art. William Turner, John Constable, Samuel Palmer, William Blake are representatives of the romantic movement in painting. No less famous is the landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough, as well as the portrait painters Joshua Reynolds and Lucian Freud. On thethe territories of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the past, masters of various genres worked. All of them are presented at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
National peculiarities
Natural and cultural monuments of Great Britain are not the only things it is famous for. The inhabitants of the country are credited with special qualities that create a national character. True, in most cases, when characterizing the mentality, they mean the British, although they extend it to all British citizens. The Scots, the Irish and the people of Wales are far from being similar in everything, both with each other and with the main nation of the state.
So, the British are very polite people who do not tolerate familiarities and discussion of personal topics during, for example, lunch. They are a little prim and tend to always keep traditions. The inhabitants of England are often described in literature as elegant, fashion-conscious, classically inclined, and somewhat conservative. However, such a portrait is rather conditional and corresponds more to a certain collective image than to any specific person.
Great Britain: the country's culture, features of its art and national character - attracts many researchers. A lot of scientific works and works of art have been written about England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, none of them compare to the experience of a trip to the United Kingdom. The charm of ancient streets and quiet suburbs, the speed and lights of business centers, the beauty of nature and the secrets of ancient ruins - all this is worth returning to again and again. UK.
