Oxford (England) is a city and administrative center of Oxfordshire, south central England, near to the confluence of the Thames (known here as the Isis) and the Cherwell rivers. The city is known as the seat of the University of Oxford, one of many oldest and best-known universities in the world. Oxford is also an industrial center together with printing operations; various other manufactures consist of motor vehicles and steel products.
The heart of the city is Carfax (Latin quadrifurcua, "four-forked"), from which the main streets run to the four points of the compass; this was the center of the walled medieval city. Among the city's many noteworthy structures are definitely the churches of Saint Michael (11th century) and Saint Mary the Virgin (13th century); the Bodleian Library; as well as the Sheldonian Theatre (1664-1669), designed by the architect Christopher Wren. Additionally here are the Museum of Modern Art (1965) along with the Ashmolean Museum (1683), containing the university's excellent collections of art and archaeology. Oxford Brookes University (1992, formerly a polytechnic college) is located in the city as well.
An early Saxon trading settlement was located near to the fords in the rivers right here. In the 10th and 11th centuries the town was mauled by Danes. By the 13th century, with the establishment of the university, it became a major educational center of Europe. Charles I had Oxford as his capital from 1642 to 1645, in the English Revolution.
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