Impressions of Leeds

Cultural heritage in Leeds and Bradford

A visit to Leeds and Bradford shows me how to handl the cultural heritage of the 19.th century, especialy the industrial heritage. Which is very important because of preservation and conservation of the old factory buildings and the old streets with wonderful historical houses.

Bradford was the mainplace in Europe to produce wool, silk, valvet, and other textiles. More than 12 000 People worked in the milles. Most of them came from the former colonies India and Pakistan in the early 50 ies and 60 ies.

Now, Bradford is a real meltingpot of more than 100 nations, languages and diffrent religions. Most of this people are living in Manningham. You can experience a real multiculti society.

So the goverment has to take care of this people and create a lot of integration programms. Thats what the gouverment is doing to solve the problems which are raise up in that mixt society.

Bradford was the center of industrial revolution in the 19. century. So a lot of factorybulidings were develeopt. This new buildings was created like the monumental aristocratic architecture of former times, also like churches with roman and gothic elements. In the last 20 years this buildings were not in use, so they fall in an real bad condition. But we are lucky, in the last 10 years the awaeness for this buildings has encreased and this buildings are regenerated. Today they are used as bussinescenters and very elegant flats.

Modern architecture and buildings made in the 19.th. century came together in Leeds and Bradford.