5 Interesting Facts about York

There’s no doubt our city is ancient, and with that comes heaps of history. In this blog, our boutique York hotel shares some of the most interesting facts about our magnificent city.

York was once called Eboracum

According to history, 5,000 men from the ninth legion marched from Lincoln to set up camp and named the city Eboracum. Romans ruled the next 300 years, turning Eboracum into a city of global importance!

A Viking Invasion

On November 1st 866AD, the Vikings invaded York. They succeeded, and renamed the city Jorvik. Despite their bloody and gory history, they were actually a pretty peaceful bunch, who farmed land and improved agriculture. They were also said to be great tradesmen, craftsmen, artists, engineers and shipbuilders.

Largest cathedral in Northern Europe

Our most iconic landmark, York Minster is the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. This magnificent building wasn’t a small job, taking over 250 years to build, with work starting in the 1200s until 1470! It has to be our York hotel’s favourite attraction.

Over 500 ghostly sightings…spooky

It’s no surprise that a city so ancient is home to a ghoul or two, but the city is supposedly Europe’s most haunted, with ghost sightings ranging from the Roman era to the modern age! In fact, there are many award-winning ghost tours in this city, including under the cover of night. Do you dare?

Guy Fawkes was born here

You may not know it, but Guy Fawkes was born in York! To this day, no bonfire celebrations will be spotted at St Peter’s College – the college Guy attended – out of respect for their alumni. You can learn more about the history of Guy Fawkes at York Dungeons.

We hope this blog inspires you to visit York for yourself. Our York city centre hotel is the perfect base for your stay, have a look at our special offers and seize your stay.