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Welcome to BIRMINGHAM
an extra service of European City Guide / ECG
eurocityguide.com - europeancityguide.com

Information about BIRMINGHAM Birmingham’s proud legacy is undeniably industrial and this part of England is still known as The Black Country. In fact, the city is anything but. There are over 200 parks meaning you are never far away from green open spaces and amazingly, Birmingham boasts more canals than Venice. Modern Birmingham is thriving and its festival calendar is testament to that. Canalside developments are providing a focal point for its cafe society, the local Royal Ballet receives national acclaim, and the Ministry of Sound attracts crowds of clubbers. Added to that are the NEC (National Exhibition Centre), ICC (International Convention Centre) and NIA (National Indoor Arena), all of which host regular concerts and events. For sports fans, there are 4 top football teams in the city and an international test cricket ground. The city centre is dominated by The Bullring, a sleek, architecturally innovative retail complex, but perhaps the most interesting part is the jewellery quarter. Only a 15-minute walk from the heart of the city, this part of town has been full of jewellers' workshops since the 16th century, and you can still buy pieces which are made here. Among Birmingham’s many attractions are the Georgian Soho House of Matthew Boulton, who was the inventor of the steam engine and The Black Country Museum, a re-created mining village. Chocolate aficionados are drawn in their thousands to Cadbury World- imagine a cultured and far more sensible Willy Wonker’s Chocolate Factory! Fans of JRR Tolkein should make the journey 4m (6.5km) southeast of the city centre to see one of Birmingham's last 18th-century corn mills, opposite the house where the author lived as a young boy.