18th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships - Birmingham 2009

Birmingham

Birmingham Attractions

05 Jul 2009

Facts

The regional capital of the West Midlands, Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city with a population of one million. The city is a dynamic multicultural centre for business, tourism, conferences and, of course, sport. The city centre has civic squares and fountains, award winning canal side developments and designer retail outlets.

Birmingham has one of the most dynamic and wide-ranging cultural scenes in the country. Listen to jazz by the canals, rock and pop in the parks or classical music in one of the world’s finest concert halls. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery houses Renaissance masterpieces and has the world’s largest collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings and drawings.

The city also boasts four theatres with a diverse range of plays and productions, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are based in the city’s stunning Symphony Hall and the city is also home to the widely acclaimed Birmingham Royal Ballet.

There’s also the world famous Jewellery Quarter which has been the home to highly skilled goldsmiths and jewellery makers for more than 200 years and Birmingham is a shopper’s paradise with modern malls, markets, boutiques and high street stores to suit every taste. There are four department stores and the £500 million Bullring shopping centre alone has more than 160 shops.