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'''Durham''' (also known as Durham City to differentiate it from the [[county]] of the same name) is a small city in [[County Durham]] in north-east [[England]].
'''Durham''' (also known as Durham City to differentiate it from the [[county]] of the same name) is a Cathedral City in [[County Durham]] in north-east [[England]].
== Name ==
== Name ==
The city's [[Old English]] name was ''Dunholm'', derived from the elements ''dun'' meaning "hill" and ''holm'' meaning "islet".
The city's [[Old English]] name was ''Dunholm'', derived from the elements ''dun'' meaning "hill" and ''holm'' meaning "islet".
The city of Durham benefited economically from the ecclesiastical presence in its midst, and as a local market centre, but it was not fitted to prosper once the powers of the Prince Bishops waned from the 16th century onwards. Although it was at the centre of a major coalfield, Newcastle rather than Durham was the chief commercial centre for the industry, and the River Wear was too shallow here to allow Durham any role in [[coal]] export. However, the abolition of the final special privileges of the bishopric in 1836 prompted the then bishop, van Mildert, to give his palace in the city's castle to a new university, only the third to be founded in England (after [[Oxford]] and [[Cambridge]]). Durham University is a major UK academic institution, and, along with the tourist industry, plays a major role in the city's economy.
The city of Durham benefited economically from the ecclesiastical presence in its midst, and as a local market centre, but it was not fitted to prosper once the powers of the Prince Bishops waned from the 16th century onwards. Although it was at the centre of a major coalfield, Newcastle rather than Durham was the chief commercial centre for the industry, and the River Wear was too shallow here to allow Durham any role in [[coal]] export. However, the abolition of the final special privileges of the bishopric in 1836 prompted the then bishop, van Mildert, to give his palace in the city's castle to a new university, only the third to be founded in England (after [[Oxford]] and [[Cambridge]]). Durham University is a major UK academic institution, and, along with the tourist industry, plays a major role in the city's economy.
== Architecture and landmarks ==
Durham Cathedral can be traced in its present form to around 1093 AD during the early Norman period. Its central tower has a height of 218 ft (66 meters) and the building is considered one of the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Europe.
Durham Castle sits opposite the cathedral on Palace Green. Its construction began in the 1070s under the order of [[William the Conquerer|William I of England]] to as a projection of Norman authority in the rebellious north of England.
== Sport ==
== Sport ==