The capital of Northern Ireland is a city that has radically changed its face in the last twenty years. From a post-industrial, decaying center, it has become a thriving tourist center. Its most important attraction today is the Titanic center located in the old docks, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Belfast has been the seat of British ruling authorities in Ulster since medieval times. In 1922, along with all of Northern Ireland, it found itself within the borders of Great Britain. This initiated the conflict, the peak of which fell in the second half of the 20th century. At that time, the city was a symbol of fights, bombings and insecurity. This situation was changed by the Good Friday agreement of 1998 and the progressive normalization of the situation in Northern Ireland.
Today's Belfast is a place that, although it remembers about the tragic history, is optimistic about the past. In the Protestant districts, whose main street is Shankill Road and the Catholic street with the main thoroughfare of Falls Road, you can still see conflict-related murals. They are a testimony of a bygone era and a warning for future generations.
The docks of the former shipyard, in which the famous Titanic was built, were completely changed. Today, in the shadow of preserved Dawid and Goliat cranes, which are the symbols of the city, modern apartment and office buildings are being built. The Titanic Center is also located here, where you can learn about the history of the ship. In the center, you can see neoclassical tenement houses and the town hall building, as well as the oldest Victor Li Crown pub, operating since 1885.
