Norwich is a city in Norfolk in eastern England. The town’s history goes back to various settlements, of which the name Northwic is known from the 9th century. Northwic was one of England’s largest cities when Vikings plundered and destroyed it in 1004. The city was well situated for trade on the Wensum River and the North Sea, and there was trade with e.g. Scandinavia, Russia and the Rhineland. The Normans built a castle after their conquest of England in 1066, and the fortified Norwich Castle was built around 1100.

The city was granted city rights in 1194-, and four-kilometer-long city walls were built 1297-1344. At this time, Norwich was one of England’s largest cities, and from the 14th century the textile industry developed into a significant industry in Norwich. It was not before the industrialization of England that other cities grew rapidly, thereby diminishing Norwich’s importance. However, the population doubled from 1810 to 1870, when around 80,000 people lived in the city.

Today, Norwich is a pleasant city, where you can take some nice walks in the center and along the river Yare, which flows through the city. You can start your visit at the Market Place, which is home to the famous Norwich Market with lots of small stalls and shops.

The market dates to the 11th century and is still one of Norwich’s lovely activities. On the Market Place you can see the city’s large Art Deco Town Hall, inaugurated in 1938. To the north is Norwich Guildhall, built 1407-1413, which for centuries was the meeting place of the Norwich City Council. To the south on the Market Place, you can visit the parish church of St Peter Mancroft, which was constructed in the years 1430-1455. The church is one of the largest in the city.

In the middle of the city, you can visit the old Norwich Castle, which sits on a hill above the rest of central Norwich. It was William I who, after the conquest of England in 1066, initiated the construction of what was the first castle in East Anglia. The castle was traditionally built with a core tower and surrounding fortifications on the artificial hill, which was made on what was then a residential area.

For centuries Norwich Castle was used as a prison before it became a museum in 1894. Today you can see the interesting castle and explore the Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, which is a museum with interesting archaeological, historical and natural history collections, and you can also see art on site.

A little north-east of this you can go through the Erpingham Gate, which leads to the cathedral in Norwich. The Normans built Norwich Cathedral from 1096, and the church was completed in 1145. However, there have been rebuilding since then; for example, the current spire was made in 1480. By the cathedral there are monastery buildings with a beautiful courtyard. The church measures 140 meters in length, and the tower is 96 meters high.

You can see a large and rigorously constructed interior. In the cathedral you can notice the many sculptural works that were used in medieval architecture to assemble crosses in vaulted ribs. They constitute a great cultural treasure consisting of countless figures that represent people, scenes and stories in many ways. Close to the cathedral is the 14th-15th century St Helen’s Church, which was part of a great hospital complex founded in 1249. Close to the Great Hospital is the Cow Tower, an artillery tower built as part of Norwich’s defenses in 1398-1399.