In Northern Europe there is an amazingly beautiful country - Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the republic. The city is located at the confluence of the river. Lofia in the Dublin Bay, which is located in the Irish Sea. Its area is one hundred and fifteen square kilometers. The city of Dublin is the main port of the country, in addition, it plays the role of a center of political, economic and cultural life of the state.
Name origin history
It is believed that the word "Dublin" appeared as a result of the merger of two Irish words - "dubh" and "linn", which translate as "backwater" and "black". However, some researchers question this version, suggesting that the name of the capital was formed from the Scandinavian phrase “djup lind” - “deep backwater”. However, for most historians and linguists, the first option seems more plausible.
How do modern Irish people call their city in their native language? Baile Átha Cliath. Translated, this means "ford settlement." This long name is often replaced by the acronym BAC. In the modern city, a mixed Anglo-Irish version of the name is used along with the original Irish.
Historical information
Is this an ancient country - Ireland? Dublin, for example, in 140 BC was already a fully formed Celtic settlement with a monastery. He later became a stronghold of the Scandinavian kingdom on the island. In 902, the Vikings were expelled from Dublin along with the natives, however, the rebellious Scandinavians returned to their settled lands in 917. In 1014, the Battle of Klontarf was held, during which the Celts led by their king Brian Boru defeated the Vikings. The defeated side adhered to a peaceful policy of agreements and alliances, thanks to which the Vikings ruled over their lands over the next three centuries.
Middle Ages
In 1169, Ireland was invaded by Henry II Plantagenet. Dublin as a result of the victory of the conquerors became the stronghold of the British government. Thanks to the recognition of the Pope, Henry the Second became Lord of Ireland and proclaimed the above settlement royal. This happened in 1171. Then the Anglo-Norman conquerors began to actively absorb the features of local culture, to study Irish customs and language. Since then, close, albeit not always simple, relations have begun between the Irish and the British.
Colonization
The Tudor Dynasty sought to subordinate all of Ireland to it. Dublin as the main city of the island was of particular interest.
In 1592, thanks to the efforts of Queen Elizabeth I, the Trinity College was founded in the capital. It was a Protestant educational institution for the Irish nobility. The richest Dublin clans refused to educate their children there. Instead, wealthy offspring of the local nobility went to Catholic schools on the continent.
Subsequently, the British authorities carried out a series of transformations with the aim of imposing their demands on the Catholic majority. For this reason, the so-called new British formed the backbone of the country's administration. This state of affairs was observed until the nineteenth century.
In the 1640s, thousands of Protestants moved to Dublin. The capital was on the verge of rebellion. Unrest was avoided, but the Catholics remained in the minority.
Physico-geographical features
Modern Dublin is divided into two approximately equal halves - southern and northern - by the Liffey River. It flows from west to east and flows into the Irish Sea. The river has long been perceived as an obstacle due to severe bogging in the western section and at the mouth. Over the course of several centuries, this problem was solved thanks to the backfilling of swamps and the serious strengthening of the embankments. Currently, there is a tendency to increase the level of Liffey waters.
Climatic characteristics
Does Dublin have a favorable climate? The capital is characterized by insignificant temperature differences, mild winters and cool summers. The warmest in June and July. The amount of precipitation in Dublin is about two times lower than in Western Ireland, and the same as in London. Most often it rains in August and December. The driest weather is usually in April. The average annual rainfall is at 762 mm. This is less than, for example, in New York, Sydney or Dallas.
The geographical map of Dublin allows you to see that the city is at high latitude. For this reason, in the capital in the summer it can be light up to nineteen hours a day, and in winter - only up to nine.
The city is one of the safest in terms of natural disasters. He is not afraid of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. Strong and gusty winds sometimes rush into Dublin, but other cities in Ireland suffer from them much more.
Specialists revealed small temperature differences between the center and the outskirts of the capital. So, in the heart of the city two to three degrees warmer. The coldest in December, January and February. Between November and April, snow may fall, but it usually melts after four to five days. Thunderstorms are rare, usually in summer.
Power system
The city is managed by the Dublin City Council. This is a representative body. The election of its members is held every five years. Representatives of both society and political parties may apply for a seat on the Council. It is the largest municipal authority in all of Ireland. The Council is involved in amending bills, controls the city budget. In addition, the area of his attention is the quality of roads, water supply, and health care. The key figure of this body is the City Manager. The central office is located in a building on the southern embankment of the river. Liffey near the center of the capital.
Economics, infrastructure
The new millennium brought with it a significant increase in the welfare of the people of the Republic of Ireland. Dublin (photos of this beautiful city are presented in the article) was no exception in this regard. Now it occupies the sixteenth place in the ranking of the most expensive cities in the world. Moreover, wages here are also among the highest.
For several centuries now, the main industry of the city has been brewing. The widely known Guinness foamy drink has been brewing in Dublin since 1759. Currently, the capital has many production associations specializing in pharmaceutical products. In addition, well-known companies involved in information technology also have their offices in Dublin and the suburbs. These giants include Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Amazon, and Yahoo !. Hewlett Packard and Intel own large factories in Kidler County, located fifteen kilometers west of the capital.
Recently, in the economy of Dublin, the position of banking has been increasingly strengthened. So, Commerzbank and Citibank branches successfully operate in the city.
During the economic boom, construction intensified, and today this area is considered the main source of jobs. Nevertheless, in 2007, Dubliners faced the problem of unemployment due to the fact that supply began to outstrip demand in the labor market. Today, the seedy industrial areas of the city are actively being developed; more and more structures of different directions are appearing there. Among the plans for the near future is the construction of the subway.
There are four higher education institutions in the city. The most famous of them is the University of Dublin, which is also the oldest.
Cultural sphere
Dublin is the birthplace of many talented people. The whole world knows about the famous natives of this city. Among them are Samuel Beckett, JB Shaw and William Butler Yates, Jonathan Swift and Oscar Wilde, as well as Bram Stoker. However, most of all, Dublin became famous thanks to the work of James Joyce. He is one of the founders of modernism in literary works. A portrait of a writer can be seen even on a fifty-pound note. Joyce's works are filled with entertaining details from the life of his contemporaries living in Dublin.
The State Museum of Heraldry is open in the capital. It was founded more than a hundred years ago - in 1908, and is one of the oldest museums of this kind on the planet. No less interesting to visit is the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Dublin. The city's attractions
St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest of these structures in Ireland. At one time, his rector was the famous John Swift, who became famous thanks to his work entitled Gulliver's Travels.
Dublin Castle is currently the seat of the island’s government. It was erected by order of King John the Landless in order to protect against Norman raids. The castle is open to tourists if it does not hold important government meetings.
The Dublin Needle is the architectural dominant of the city. This monument is visible from almost all points of the capital. The construction of the “Needle” is the simplest: a gradually narrowing steel spire rises up to 121 meters.
The territory of the Dublin Botanical Garden is truly impressive: more than twenty thousand of the most diverse flora representatives from all over the world grow on twenty-five hectares. This place is respectfully called the green heart of Dublin.
The sights of the capital do not end there. Dubliners invariably call the Garden of Memories their favorite place for walking. There is a memorial in memory of those who gave their lives for the well-being and independence of the island. Despite the unfortunate cause of the occurrence, this place is filled with life-affirming natural splendor.
At the local zoo you can admire both common local animals and rare fauna representatives. It is noteworthy that the staff of this institution does their best to support the imitation of the maximum natural habitat of their wards.
Ways of movement
The metropolitan transport network is represented by high-speed trains and buses. The ticket price varies depending on the duration of the trip and ranges from 1.65-4.3 euros. There are tickets on sale that are valid both on trains and on buses. Typically, public transport starts at six in the morning and ends at half past eleven. On holidays, this period may be extended by decision of the local administration.
Communication
The communication system of the city meets all the most stringent standards and criteria. In many metropolitan telephones along with coins, you can pay by credit card. However, calls with special phone cards are much cheaper, they can be purchased at large stores, in all newsstands and at gas stations.
Mobile communication throughout the island operates according to the GSM standard. Thanks to this, roaming services are available to most foreign guests. An alternative is to purchase an Irish SIM card. The most popular local operators are O2 and Vodafone.
You can access the World Wide Web at any major post office or Internet cafe.
State symbol
The flag of Ireland (photo can be seen below) is a panel consisting of three stripes. They are painted in the following colors: white - in the center, green - at the pole end, orange - at the free. Moreover, the first color symbolizes peaceful relations between faiths, the second - Catholics, the third - Protestants. For the first time, this flag acted as a national symbol in 1916. Then he was raised above the capital post office during the celebration of Easter.
Time in Dublin
Every year the country switches to daylight saving time. The arrows are shifted an hour forward. Thus, a sixty minute deviation from Greenwich Mean Time occurs. In 2014, the transition took place on March 30, and on October 26, Dubliners will move their hands an hour ago.
Conclusion
The capital of such a beautiful European country as Ireland was described in detail above. The map of the island, flag and attractions are shown above in the pictures. We hope that the virtual trip helped you to form an idea of this city.