Manchester, the commercial and cultural capital of Lancashire, is a well-known hub for the arts, media, and higher education. It constitutes the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester and Salford and eight other municipalities and is home to around three million people.
Like its neighbouring Liverpool, Manchester has seen a rebirth with the beginning of ventures such as the Castlefield project, its many canals, and its museum complex on Liverpool Road.
If you are staying at our Luxury Serviced Apartments, read through our "Part 3" list of exciting things to do in Manchester.
8) Visit Britain's Oldest Public Library: Chetham's Library
Chetham's Hospital, located immediately north of Manchester Cathedral, was founded in 1422. Originally a priest's dwelling, it currently houses a music school and Chetham Library, England's oldest public library.
The library has been in continuous use since 1653 and houses over 100,000 books, more than half of which were printed before 1850. Chetham is also well-known for hosting Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels during Marx's visit to Manchester. There are guided tours available.
Other notable libraries include the Manchester Central Library, located adjacent to the Town Hall, and the Portico Library, which holds the literary collection of Dalton and Joule, the founders of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
The Victorian John Rylands Library, now part of Manchester University, is well worth a visit for its numerous unique collections, including mediaeval literature, a Gutenberg Bible, and an early printing collection by William Caxton.
Location: Long Millgate, Manchester
9) Manchester Art Gallery
The Manchester Art Gallery has one of the most extensive art collections in the United Kingdom outside of London. The gallery features paintings by the pre-Raphaelites, 17th-century Flemish painters, French impressionists such as Gauguin, Manet, and German artists such as Max Ernst.
There are additional works by well-known British artists such as Stubbs, Constable, and Turner. Rodin, Maillol, Jacob Epstein, and Henry Moore are among the artists represented in the gallery's significant sculpture collection.
Check out HOME, Manchester's worldwide centre for contemporary visual arts and independent film, for additional arts & culture tourism attractions. The theatre, located at 70 Oxford Street, is well-known for its frequent presentations of everything from musicals to comedies.
Address: Mosley Street & Princess Street, Manchester
10) The Whitworth
The Whitworth art gallery, which just underwent a substantial renovation, houses a massive collection of approximately 55,000 artworks. The gallery's highly contemporary facilities, named after the nearby park, are located in a combination of ancient and new buildings facing a charming green space.
The earliest collections date back to 1889, and its excellent displays of sculptures and largely modern artworks have continuously ranked it among Manchester's best attractions. Watercolours, fabrics, and even wallpapers are among the other significant collections. There are works by Francis Bacon, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso on display and a substantial collection of outdoor art.
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