Kent: cities and places of interest

One of the most beautiful places in the UK is Kent. It is called the "Garden of England". It is thanks to this comparison that many tourists wish to visit this beautiful place. Immediately before the mind's eye, rustic pictures, well-groomed fields and even stripes of roads, apple orchards, meadows and beautiful mansions, castle towers and fortress walls, village churches, etc. rise before my mind's eye. However, not only the beauty of nature attracts tourists here, but also various historical sights that can be found in such ancient cities as Canterbury, Dover, Rochester and others.

Villages in Kent (Mervors, for example) are also very interesting from the point of view of sightseeing tours. It is said that some roads here were laid in the time of the ancient Romans. By the way, Kent is the largest producer of apple wine - cider.

Description

County Kent (England) is located in the south-eastern part of the country on the coast of the English Channel. Today he enters London's sleeping belt. The capital of the county is the city of Maidstone, but the Medway in its structure has the status of a unitary unit. Kent is located between the capital and continental Europe, in view of this, the county residents several times in their history were in the theater of operations. The last time in its territory was the battle for Britain (during the Second World War). Particularly affected by East Kent, which was then called "the mouth of Hellfire." White stones of Dover are considered a symbol of the county, and indeed of England. From here, in good weather, you can see the coastal zone of France, in particular the town of Calais.

Etymology

Is it always called the county? Kent (Kentus) is of Breton origin and means "boundary", "boundary". After all, the eastern part of the county is adjacent to the strait and, naturally, is the border belt of the country. In history there is also evidence that in the first century BC Julius Caesar poured these edges of the Cantium, which meant "the birthplace of the Cantiats." So they were called until the 8th century, and after, as today, the terrain acquired the name of the county of Kent.

A bit of history

According to historical data, the county of Kent began to be populated during the Paleolithic period, and during the Neolithic period megaliths were built near the Medvej River. The lands were not empty even during the Roman occupation. This is evidenced by archaeological findings. In 597, the Roman Pope Gregory I, deciding to extend the Catholic faith in Britain, appointed Augustine the first archbishop. And he, in turn, drew King Ethelberbert (pagan) into Christianity. Since then, the Canterbury Diocese has been the Christian center of Britain.

How to get there?

Most tourists who wish to explore the county of Kent, first fly to London, and from there by land transport arrive in one of the planned cities of the route. The journey takes approximately one hour. Of course, the fastest way to get there is by car. Since there is only 50 km between the capital and the county, the route will be 25-30 minutes by car and about an hour, if you go by train.

Kent: attractions

Once Kent was conquered by the Belgian tribes who sailed to the island from neighboring Gaul. However, before they left, they managed to build many dugouts, various battle fortifications, stone circles, etc. Then on the land of Kent landed Roman legionaries - the troops of Julius Caesar. They decided to equip the occupied territories, began to build roads, fortresses, villas and cities.

Archaeologists have found a large number of clay, glass and bronze ware, lead coffins with beautiful ornaments. However, the Romans did not stay long, they were repelled by a damp climate and constant fogs. The Anglo-Saxon tribes who came after them on the islands founded the kingdom here. Then Archbishop Augustine sailed to Britain with a Christian mission, and the Canterbury Diocese became the center of Christianity in the country. On the territory of the county, there were preserved defensive structures that were erected to protect them from the Normans, the French and the Dutch.

Cities of Kent

Canterbury is the oldest city in the county. It was first mentioned in 597. As already noted, it is here that the Department of the Canterbury Archbishop is located. The city has many attractions. The main one is the Canterbury Cathedral, which was built in the Gothic style as far back as the 7th century. By the way, it is included in the UNESCO list as a masterpiece of the world cultural heritage. The cathedral is famous for the fact that the relics of St. Dunstan are preserved here.

Other sights are the abbey of St. Augustine, however, only ruins remained from it, and the Church of St. Martin, which was founded by Saint Berthe of Kent in the 6th century.

The city of Dover is known as a seaport. It was founded by the Romans. The city has a beautiful castle built on the coastal rocks and called "The Key to England". This is the most important attraction of Dover. Today there is a historical museum. The rocks, which stand next to the castle, have a dazzling white color, they are for the sailors a signal of approaching the shores of the Foggy Albion.

The city of Rochester is also full of attractions, including cathedrals and castles. This city is younger than the previous two, although the first buildings were made in the era of the Roman Empire. The mighty Rochester castle rises on the bank of the main river of the county of Medway. He is a defensive bastion on the way to London.

Sometimes tourists look for the city of Harley (Kent) in the UK. However, there was no such settlement here. Probably, tourists confuse it with the city, which is located in Australia, near Melbourne, in the same district of Kent. Surely in ancient times, settlers from Britain decided to call this settlement exactly that way.