5. Reading: Brick Lane

 

It really isn't something new that London is home to a rich mix of Asian cultural groups. If you've ever been to England's capital, you'll know its huge cultural diversity is reflected not just in the shop signs and the many languages people speak on the street, but also in the flavours and smells in the air when entering certain parts of the city. This is particularly true for an area located in the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets: Brick Lane.

Brick Lane is a street that takes its name from former brick manufacture. Due to the high influx of immigrants from Bangladesh in the 1960s and 1970s, the area around it now represents the centre of the Bengali community and is thus also known as "Banglatown". With one curry restaurant after the other it is definitely the place to go to for a good curry and soak up a somewhat exotic atmosphere. During the annual Curry Festival in autumn the food is taken onto the street and the culture of the East is celebrated.

Another attraction Brick Lane offers is the famous Brick Lane market, which takes place every Sunday. You can get everything from food to vintage clothing and furniture there.

However, Brick Lane also offers a more modern flair with a lot of trendy art galleries, in-clubs and record labels. With real estate prices still low around Brick Lane, many members of the so-called avant-garde started to move to this rather poor borough of London a few years ago. The high number of trendy and spacious lofts has made Brick Lane one of the hip areas of the city. This in turn has increased housing prices and will probably have an effect on the demographic structure of the area. Let's hope that Brick Lane does not lose its multi-cultural face!