Leicester << LEHS tuhr >> is an industrial and historic city in central England. It is the largest city in the unitary authority (local government area) of Leicester, which has a population of 368,572.
The center of Leicester includes a modern shopping and business district, a bustling marketplace, and the University of Leicester. Nearby, Jewry Wall–part of public baths built by Romans during the A.D. 100’s–stands next to a modern hotel. Other landmarks include churches and the remains of a castle that date from the 1100’s. Leicester factories produce a variety of goods, including hosiery, shoes, and engineering products.
Roman soldiers built a fort on the site of what is now Leicester shortly after they began the conquest of Britain in the A.D. 40’s. During the Middle Ages, Leicester gained importance as a center of the wool trade. It became a prosperous industrial city in the 1800’s, and has remained so to the present day.
