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Birmingham

6th-century establishments in EnglandBirmingham, West MidlandsCities in the West Midlands (region)Metropolitan boroughs of the West Midlands (county)NUTS 3 statistical regions of the United Kingdom
Pages including recorded pronunciationsPages with non-numeric formatnum argumentsPopulated places established in the 6th centuryTowns in the West Midlands (county)Use British English from October 2021
One Centenary Way, Birmingham, February 2023
One Centenary Way, Birmingham, February 2023

Birmingham ( (listen) BUR-ming-əm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West Midlands metropolitan county, and approximately 4.3 million in the wider metropolitan area. It is the largest UK metropolitan area outside of London. Birmingham is commonly referred to as the second city of the United Kingdom.Located in the West Midlands region of England, approximately 100 miles (160 km) from London, Birmingham is considered to be the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands. Distinctively, Birmingham only has small rivers flowing through it, mainly the River Tame and its tributaries River Rea and River Cole – one of the closest main rivers is the Severn, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the city centre. Historically a market town in Warwickshire in the medieval period, Birmingham grew during the 18th century during the Midlands Enlightenment and during the Industrial Revolution, which saw advances in science, technology and economic development, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791, it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation; this provided an economic base for prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. The Watt steam engine was invented in Birmingham.The resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of political radicalism which, under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain, was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy. From the summer of 1940 to the spring of 1943, Birmingham was bombed heavily by the German Luftwaffe in what is known as the Birmingham Blitz. The damage done to the city's infrastructure, in addition to a deliberate policy of demolition and new building by planners, led to extensive urban regeneration in subsequent decades. Birmingham's economy is now dominated by the service sector. The city is a major international commercial centre and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub. Its metropolitan economy is the second-largest in the United Kingdom with a GDP of $121.1bn (2014). Its five universities, including the University of Birmingham, make it the largest centre of higher education in the country outside London. Birmingham's major cultural institutions – the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Library of Birmingham and Barber Institute of Fine Arts – enjoy international reputations, and the city has vibrant and influential grassroots art, music, literary and culinary scenes. The city also successfully hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In 2021, Birmingham was the third most visited city in the UK by people from foreign nations.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Birmingham (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Birmingham
Victoria Square, Birmingham Ladywood

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Wikipedia: BirminghamContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.48 ° E -1.9025 °
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Address

Council House

Victoria Square
B1 1BB Birmingham, Ladywood
England, United Kingdom
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One Centenary Way, Birmingham, February 2023
One Centenary Way, Birmingham, February 2023
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Iron:Man
Iron:Man

Iron:Man is a statue by Antony Gormley, in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. The statue is 6 metres (20 ft) tall, including the feet which are buried beneath the pavement, and weighs 6 metric tons (6 long tons). The statue leans 7.5° backwards and 5° to its left. It is said by the sculptor to represent the traditional skills of Birmingham and the Black Country practised during the Industrial Revolution. Cast at Bradley and Fosters Castings (now Firth Rixson Castings) in Willenhall, it was erected in 1993 and was a gift to the City from the Trustee Savings Bank, being erected outside the former Head Post Office, which was then their headquarters. It was originally named Untitled, but gained the nickname Iron Man, which Gormley requested be changed to Iron:Man and become the official name for it.It was controversial initially, with early accusations of rusting being explained as deliberate by Gormley when he stated that the type of iron used encourages surface oxidation to protect the underlying metal. When the bank relocated its headquarters to Bristol, some in Birmingham at the time felt the statue should be relocated or removed although, as it was originally a gift to the city, it was left in place.A maquette of the statue used to be at the Public Art Commissions Agency in the Jewellery Quarter, but is now located at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre in Nechells.The statue was moved into storage in September 2017, to allow the tracks for the West Midlands Metro extension to Centenary Square to be laid, and restored to a new site in Victoria Square in February 2022.

Frankfurt Christmas Market, Birmingham
Frankfurt Christmas Market, Birmingham

The Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Market is an annual outdoor Christmas market and craft fair held in central Birmingham, England. The market started in 2001 with 24 stalls and has expanded every year. It opens in mid November and continues until late December, closing just before Christmas. The Christmas Market and Craft Fair is located in Centenary Square, Chamberlain Square, New Street, and Victoria Square. It is the largest such market outside Germany and Austria, attracting over 3.1 million visitors in 2010, over 5 million visitors in 2011, almost 5 million visitors in 2013 and over 5.5 million visitors in 2014. German food and drink such as Bratwurst and Glühwein are available. On 15 November 2018, after an inspection by Birmingham City Council's environmental health officials, twenty of the market's food stalls were ordered to improve hygiene . Two further stalls were summarily closed for failing to display mandatory allergen advice. When reinspected on 20 November, all the stalls were found to meet the required standards.From 2018 the market has been kicked off with a performance of Hosen Brass down Birmingham's New Street on behalf of Free Radio Birmingham before the lights are officially turned on.The market is affiliated with the Frankfurt Christmas Market in the city of Frankfurt, one of the oldest such markets in Germany (dating from 1393), hence the name. Birmingham is twinned with Frankfurt.On 9 September 2020, the organisers of the Christmas market cancelled the 2020 event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.