Excursion tour in Dublin. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

» The Christ Church Cathedral is the main cathedral of Dublin situated in the historic part of the city.
» That’s one of three ancient cathedrals.
» The temple was founded in 1031 by the Viking king Sitrig Silkenberd for the first archbishop of Dublin Donat.
» In 1487 the coronation of Lambert Simnel as King Edward VI was held there; once he unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the King of England.
» The cathedral crypt is the oldest structure in Dublin. It contains treasures of the Christ Church, manuscripts, tabernacle, candlesticks and other artifacts.
» The vast crypt under the cathedral houses works of art on par with a mummified rat and cat that chased it found in the organ in 1860.

» The President Residence was designed by Irish politician and financier Nathaniel Clements, who served as superintendent of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. Construction of the mansion began in 1751.
» The house was empty before adoption of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, which introduced the post of president of the country. In 1938 it was settled by the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, who planned to demolish the building and replace it with a new presidential palace, but this plan wasn’t implemented due to the outbreak of World War II.
» By 1945, the President of Ireland has become so identified with this building, that it was decided to keep the house, despite its heavy wear and tear. Since then, restoration work is carried out in the mansion from time to time.
» The interior of the building is not as luxurious as in many other European royal and presidential palaces, but at the same time, the mansion is a relatively comfortable residence for the head of state.
» The mansion has the reception hall, large and small dining rooms, the President's Office, the library, the large hall and a presidential corridor along which the busts of the Presidents of Ireland, as well as several bedrooms decorated in the style of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are seen.

» The Dublin Castle is the main government complex of buildings in Dublin; it was the main outpost of the British in Ireland in past.
» Created initially as a fortification of the city, the castle has been used for various purposes throughout its history. It was the residence of the king; the castle housed the Parliament and the courts.
» Since 1922 the Dublin Castle served as a court complex for 10 years, and in 1930 it was decided to hold there the inauguration of the President of Ireland.
» In 1938, the castle housed the residence of the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde.
» Currently, the castle holds routs of foreign heads of state, as well as foreign delegations and banquets on national holidays; dungeons of the castle are used for concerts.
» The Dublin Castle is open to the public, except cases of public ceremonies.

» The National Library of Ireland is the largest public library in the country.
» The library was founded in 1877.
» The library organizes collection, storage and promotion of documents about the history of Ireland.
» It houses more than 500 thousand volumes, including books, maps, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines and photographs.
» The library regularly hosts art exhibitions and different social and cultural events.

» The National Botanic Gardens is located 5 kilometers north-west of Dublin city center and has an impressive territory.
» The Botanical Garden was founded in 1795. The initial purpose of the National Botanical Gardens was the study and development of agricultural practices.
» In the early years plants useful to humans, animals and medicine were grown in the garden. Eventually they started to breed plants that contributed to the study and systematization of botanical knowledge, as well as amazingly looking species.
» Now the collection of the garden houses more than 300 endangered plant species and 6 species, which have disappeared from the wild.
» In 1992, a large-scale program to restore and upgrade the plant base of National Botanical Gardens was launched. In 1999, new greenhouses have been restored and opened, specialized library was opened, an information center for visitors offering a tour of audio tours, free guided tours and a film dedicated to the National Botanic Garden was created.
» The National Botanical Gardens is open from November to February.