Oxford is a city located on the River Thames in the area northwest of London. The town is known historically from 911, when it was mentioned as Oxnaforda. Later in the century, Oxford was burned down by attacking Vikings, and it happened again in the year 1009. During this time, several meetings were held in the so-called witenagemot in Oxford, and it was at a meeting here in 1016 that the Danish King Canute was recognized as King of England.

The city developed during this time. Bridges were built to the city, and from 1096 there was academic teaching in Oxford. In 1790, the Oxford Canal opened to Coventry and Birmingham’s industrial areas, and this gave new growth to the city, which itself experienced a boom after the industrial revolution with, for example, car production.

Today, Oxford is a pleasant city, largely characterized by the university, but of course there are also other interesting sights in the city. The center of Oxford is around Carfax, where St Aldate’s, Cornmarket Street, Queen Street and High Street meet. At the intersection you can see Carfax Tower, which is the preserved tower from the otherwise historic St Martin’s Church. There is a fine view of central Oxford from the 23-meter-high tower.

At Carfax you can also see Oxford Town Hall, which is both the seat of the city council and an event venue. The current building was completed in 1897 and is set with a beautiful meeting hall. You can visit the Museum of Oxford here as well, which tells the history of the city and its university. South-east of this is Christ Church College, whose collegiate church is also Oxford’s cathedral.

Oxford is of course famous for its university and there are many beautiful colleges in the city. You can take a walk down the High Street, which gives access to some of the most famous places. Here is the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, which stands in the middle of Oxford’s university campus. The current church was built in the 1500s and 1700s and has a beautiful interior and tower.

To the north of the church, Brasenose College and All Souls College can be seen on either side of the round building named Radcliffe Camera. The building was constructed in neoclassical style 1739-1749 as the home of the Radcliffe Science Library. All Souls College was founded in 1438 and next to the Radcliffe Camera you can see the All Souls College Chapel, built 1438-1442.

Close to this you can notice the neoclassical Clarendon Building, which was built 1711-1715 to house the publishing house Oxford University Press. Today, the fine house is a library. Next to the Clarendon Building you can see Christopher Wren’s beautiful Sheldonian Theatre, which was constructed 1664-1669. The interior of the theater is classy and distinctive, and you can notice Wren’s design and Robert Streater’s ceiling painting as highlights.

In this area you can see New College as well, which was founded in 1379. At the college, the New College Chapel is particularly interesting. It is a beautiful church with an elegant interior with an attached monastery courtyard. To the east of New College Chapel, you can see a preserved section of Oxford’s old city wall. If you follow the city wall and continue, you come to Queen’s College, where you can see the college’s church, which was built in its current baroque style 1713-1719.