Liverpool, England's fifth most populous city, is full of beautiful, old Gothic buildings like the Royal Liver Building, pictured here. In this photo, reddish smoke lingers in the air after the August 27th, 2007 fireworks in celebration of the city's 800th birthday.

A liver bird sits on the cupola of the clock tower of the right. On the left side of the building sits a second liver bird, looking in the opposite direction. According to legend, one liver bird gazes over the city in protection of its people, as the other guards the sailors coming home to port. The more modern local saying, though, is that one bird is waiting for the pubs to open, as the other looks out for handsome sailors.

Liverpool, home of the Beatles and the Merseybeat poets, was once a proud hub of trade and culture until the 1970s, when its ports and manufacturing industries began a sharp decline. Now, years later, Liverpool is once again on the rise. Named as Europe's official Capital of Culture for 2008, Liverpool's cultural life is on display for the world to see.

Liverpool
Excerpt from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By the start of the nineteenth century, 40% of the world's trade was passing through Liverpool and the construction of major buildings reflected this wealth. In 1830, Liverpool and Manchester became the first cities to have an intercity rail link, through the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The population continued to rise rapidly, especially during the 1840s when Irish migrants began arriving by the hundreds of thousands as a result of the Great Famine. By 1851, approximately 25% of the city's population was Irish-born. During the first part of the 20th century, Liverpool was drawing emigrants from across Europe.

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