英国旅游不可不去的标志建筑物

景点介绍

伦敦塔(Tower of London)是伦敦的地标性建筑之一，她的官方名称是“女王陛下的宫殿与城堡，伦敦塔(Her Majesty's Palace and Fortress,The Tower of London)”。坐落在泰晤士河北岸，看上去是一座非常坚固的堡垒。伦敦塔从过去到现在可以算是一座“多功能”建筑，它几个世纪以来，既是王室的行宫、兵器库、战略要塞、也是监狱和藏宝楼。

The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery.

The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularised by 16th-century religious

珍宝馆 The Jewel House

伦敦塔是不列颠群岛最受欢迎的历史景点。其中最有吸引力的是珍宝馆，有全套的御用珍宝在那里展出。珠宝陈列在一系列展室的明亮的玻璃柜中，参观者则在自动通道上缓缓通过。设于玻璃柜上方的巨大的屏幕显示出这些珠宝的历史全景，以及它们在加冕典礼中的作用。

白塔 White Tower

紧邻珍宝馆的是宏伟的白塔，最初由征服者威廉在11世纪末建造。其附属结构的修建持续了几个世纪，最终包括了内场的13个塔和外场的6个塔和棱堡。

从前，这里游荡着国王豢养的野兽，塔的总管每天要喂养狮子、豹子、熊和狼。这座塔是保卫或控制全城的城堡;是举行会议或签订协约的王宫;是关押最危险的敌人的国家监狱;是当时全英国唯一的造币场所;是储藏武器的军械库;是珍藏王室饰品和珠宝的宝库，也是保存国王在威斯敏斯特法庭大量记录的档案馆。

卫士和乌鸦

伦敦塔由御用侍从卫士(Yeoman warder，又常被称为Beefeater，意指“食牛肉者”)管理，他们既是导游，又是保安，本身还是旅游者的观赏对象。为了尊重古老的传说，现在的政府仍然负担开支，在塔内饲养渡鸦，相传只要塔里还有乌鸦，英格兰就不会受到侵略，反之，国家将会遭逢厄运。

鬼影传说

伦敦塔从建立之初就有数不清的人在城堡内丧命。在它的地下土牢里，有各种残酷的刑具，而堡外的塔山则是家喻户晓的断头台。而更为奇特的是还有许多游客都声称自己曾亲眼目睹过这些游荡的鬼魂。

但科学家发现，报告鬼魂事件最多的还是熟知英国历史的本土游客。于是他们得出结论："闹鬼"事件都是环境造成的，所谓"鬼魂"不过是人大脑对现象的解读，鬼魂现象应该说是磁场、寒冷的气流、昏暗或变幻的光线等造成的。