By Jake Palmer
Manchester is a city most famous for its rich Industrial history after becoming a major global economic powerhouse during the Industrial Revolution. Manchester is also famed for its iconic football clubs, booming music scene and cultural diversity. The famed worker bee is one of Manchester’s best-known symbols and represents the hard work and dedication of the people within it.
Manchester is home to just over 550,000 people and is the second most visited city in the UK after London. This city attracts just over 1.7 million visitors each year. These visitors come from all over the world for the bustling nightlife, sporting attractions and historical landmarks.
I spoke with @VisitManchester who are the official tourist board for Greater Manchester. They had this to say about what the most visited attractions in the city are.
“The most visited attractions are without doubt the football ones. Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium are massivley popular, especially with stadium tours!”
This is the statue of three Manchester United legends, George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law. These are three of the best players in the vast history of the giant footballing Institution.
“Other than that, the various museums take up a lot of interest such as the Science and Industry Museum and the Manchester Museum, shopping and nightlife also attract large amounts of people with the Trafford Centre being very popular”
The most famous attraction in Manchester is the biggest football club in the country and one of the biggest football institutions in world football, Manchester United, who were founded in 1878. Old Trafford, also known as the ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ is the biggest club stadium in the country, seating just over 75,000 people. Approximately 500,000 different supporters visit the stadium every season. Old Trafford is located just a few miles outside of the city.
The history of the club runs deep, and it has had a very emotional past with the tragic Munich Air Disaster which occurred on February 6th, 1958. This was a plane crash which tragically took the lives of 23 people including eight first team players. Legendary manager Sir Matt Busby galvanized the club around star players such as George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. In 1968 Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup which was an astounding feat considering the rebuild that had to happen.
From this point the trajectory of the football club went up at an exponential rate, at present day Manchester United have won a joint record twenty League Titles and also adding two more European Cups to their total. But recent history has been overshadowed by their ‘Noisy Neighbours’.
The noisy neighbors in question are the blue side of Manchester, Manchester City. Manchester City have had a relatively recent rise to the summit of world football. They won their first Premier League title in 2012 which was their first in over 40 years. Much of this recent success stems from the 2008 takeover which made the club the richest in the world at the time.
This is a packed out Etihad Stadium before a huge clash in the Premier League with just over 53,000 fans in attendance.
They have not stopped since then, over the last 13 years they have won 7 more Premier League titles and won their first ever Champions League in a treble winning season to match Man United. They also set a Premier League record of having four Premier League victories in a row, along with several domestic cups.
Manchester City play at the Etihad Stadium which holds 52,900 supporters for every home game which makes it the 7th largest stadium in England. The stadium was originally built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Manchester City do not actually own their own stadium as it belongs to Manchester City Council and the club pays £3 million per year to play.
The famous football heritage of this city doesn’t stop with these two colossus football clubs; the city is also home to the National Football Museum which was built in February 2001. The museum possesses just over 40,000 pieces of football memorabilia and is located in the Centre of the city.
Another place worth visiting in Manchester is MediaCityUK, MediaCIty offers a great range of shopping and restaurants. It also is the home of several TV shows such as Coronation Street where you can do a tour of the set. MediaCity also provides nearby access to the Imperial War Museum which is perfect for any history lovers. The Imperial War Museum boasts a staggering 10.7 million collected items.
Manchester’s global recognition in the music world comes from its rich and successful history for producing world famous bands and various artists. Manchester has embraced and inspired various different genres of music and has always had such a diverse music scene. Going from the 1960s pop scene to the post-punk era, Madchester and the modern-day music scene.
Manchester has produced different influential bands such as The Stone Roses and Oasis and Joy Division. Along with other famous Mancunian rappers such as Aitch and Bugzy Malone.
This city is famed for its live music venues and festivals. The city hosts Parklife which is one of the UKs most popular festivals. Manchester also has several big arenas which are concert goers’ dream. The AO Arena and the newly built CO-OP Live Arena host global superstars on a weekly basis whilst Heaton Park hosts large scale outdoor events.
Manchester also offers exceptional opportunities for shopping with two of the biggest shopping centres in the UK. Firstly, the Manchester Arndale centre which is the biggest inner-city shopping centre in the Country with over 200 stores with several designer outlets. The other option is Trafford centre which is located just 5-miles outside the city centre and also has over 200 stores.
I spoke with a lifelong resident of the city Linda Jones; I asked her if she enjoys living in the city and what her favorite thing about it is.
“It’s the city I have lived in for my entire life, I love it. I love the people and work-ethic of everyone in this city, the core values of the city make me very proud to say I am Mancunian, it is also great for the younger generation, there are lots of things to do and we have great pubs and restaurants. My favourite thing to do in the city is go and watch Manchester City at the weekends with my grandchildren, we have done it for over 10 years now”
