Rochester (Kent)
51.3858333333330.50388888888889Koordinaten: 51 ° 23 ' N, 0 ° 30' E
Rochester [ ɹɒtʃɪstə ] is a town in the English county of Kent with about 24,000 inhabitants. This small but old town is on the last ford of the river Medway in front of his mouth, about 50 kilometers from London. Among many older buildings stand out above all the castle of Rochester and the Rochester Cathedral. Many buildings from the city center date from the 18th century.
Rochester and the neighboring cities of Chatham and Gillingham include as " Medway Towns " together to manage unit Borough of Medway. Its population is approximately 250,000. On the other side of the river is the neighborhood Strood.
History
Antiquity
There are several indications of a Neolithic settlement near Kit's Coty House, a ruined long bed ( Long Barrow ). The city proper foundation dates back to the Romans. 43 AD set up this a fortified town with a bridge over the Medway, her name was possibly Durobrivae. In addition, it is claimed that Aulus Plautius a small fort built here, which existed only until the area of Kent was assured. After 190 the settlement was protected by earthworks, which were after 225 replaced with stone fortifications. Remains of which are still preserved.
Middle Ages
Modern Times
On June 11, 1667, the Dutch pillaged along the Medways. In the second Dutch War, the Dutch broke in the attack in the Medway under de Ruijter through the chain at Upnor and arrived at the bridge at Rochester and translated the English fleet on fire. Samuel Pepys, the responsible commander of the Navy for fleet harbor was, describes the last successful invasion of the British mainland in his diaries. Treasures from looting can be admired in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam today. 1687 the guild hall is built.
Attractions
- The Rochester Cathedral was built in 1080-1130. 1343 the central tower of the cathedral was built.
- Built from 1087 Norman castle Rochester Castle stands on a hill overlooking the city and the Medway. Its walls partly follow the Roman wall. The mighty keep is about 38 meters high and measures 23.5 x 23.5 meters.
- On May 20, 1660 gave Sir Francis Clarke King Charles II on the eve of his re- enthronement. His house, called Restoration House Crow Lane, was in Charles Dickens ' Great Expectations to Satis House.
- In December 1689, King James II spent his last night as a king in the Abdication House in the High Street.
- The Eastgate House from the 16th century, one of the oldest houses in the city, housed in the 1980s, the Charles Dickens Museum, which closed in 2004. During this time, the High Street was remodeled in a Victorian style.
Personalities
- Around 1550 is Edmund Drake, the father of Sir Francis Drake, vicar of Upnor, a small town northeast of Rochester. Due to a Catholic uprising of the Protestant family from their land in the birthplace of Francis Drake ( Crowndale in the county of Devonshire ) had been expelled.
- Charles Dickens lived near Gad's Hill. Every year, therefore, the Dickens Festival is celebrated.
- The mathematician John Edensor Littlewood was born in 1885 in Rochester.
- The film producer Peter Rogers was born 1914 in Rochester.
- The English jazz drummer Ronnie Verrell 1926 was also born here.