What were the biggest cities in the world before, in fact, have become so

• What were the biggest cities in the world before, in fact, become so

Istanbul in the 19th century

In cities, like humans, have a life expectancy - life journey.

Some of them, such as Paris, very old - they are more than 2000 years. Others are of the city, on the other hand - still quite young.

In this article, using old maps, prints and photographs we'll trace the course of life of these cities - as they were then, and what have now become.

Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese colonists in 1565.

Guanabara Bay, the second largest bay in Brazil, attracted by its splendor.

By 1711 there have grown big city.

and today it is still one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

You may have heard that New York was first called New Amsterdam, it is the name given to him by Dutch settlers who settled there in the early 17th century. It was renamed in 1664 in honor of the Duke of York.

In this 1651 engraving depicting the southern Manhattan can be found that when the city still was called New Amsterdam.

In the period from 1870 to 1915 the population of New York City Morning - has increased from 1, 5 to 5 million people. This photo 1900 captures a group of Italian immigrants on one of the central streets of New York.

The big money went to the construction of buildings such as the Manhattan Bridge (Photo 1909), to support the growing population of the city.

According to the census of 2013, is now in New York, is divided into five districts, home to 8, 4 million people.

Archaeologists claim that around 250 BC. one Celtic tribe called the Parisii themselves (Parise), settled on the banks of the Seine and founded the city that now bears the name of Paris.

They settled on the Ile de la Cité, where now stands the cathedral of Notre Dame.

Parisi minted coins here are beautiful, they are now kept at the Metropolitan Museum (New York, USA).

By the early 1400s, when this picture was painted, Paris was already one of the largest cities in Europe, and perhaps even the biggest. Where you see the lock on the Ile de la Cité.

Now, it is one of the most popular cities on the planet.

Located along the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai, the area called the Bund has become a global financial center in the late 1800s, it was occupied by US trade representative, Russia, the UK and other European countries.

In this photo of 1880 shows that the old part of town is surrounded by a moat, which has remained from earlier times.

It was noisy and lively. Commercial success has transformed a fishing town in the "Pearl of the Orient".

In 1987, the Shanghai Pudong New Area was by far not as developed as it is now. He grew up on marshland on the other side of the Huangpu River from the Bund.

In the early 1990s, Pudong opened its doors to foreign investment.

And high-rise on the site of flea immediately rose skyscrapers. Here also is the Shanghai Tower, the third tallest tower in the world. Yet it called the "Pearl of the Orient".

Today Bund - it is one of the most beautiful places in all of China.

And Pudong - one of the most futuristic. Where anyone will feel like a hero sci-fi blockbuster.

Istanbul (first named Byzantium and then Constantinople) was founded in 660 BC. Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

The Ottomans did not take long to turn the city, which was a stronghold of Christianity, a symbol of Islamic culture. They built here bagato decorated mosques.

Topkapı Palace in Istanbul.

Starting from the 19th century, the city all the time extended. Istanbul shopping center located near the Galata Bridge, which is newly rebuilt five times in the last five centuries.

Galata Bridge in the late 1800s.

Today, Istanbul is the cultural center of Turkey.

The Romans founded Londinium (present London) in 43 AD. In the image below you can see the first bridge built over the River Thames.

By the 11th century London was already the largest port in England.

Westminster Abbey, built in the second century, listed as a World Heritage Site and is one of the oldest and most important buildings in London. Here it is depicted in the picture in 1749.

In the 17th century as a result of the Black Death in London, died about 100 thousand people. In 1666, in the Great Fire broke out - on vostanovlenie took several years.

From 1714 to 1830 years, new areas such as Mayfair, appeared, and new bridges over the Thames served as an impetus to the development of areas in South London.

Trafalgar Square in London in 1814. The town continued to grow and has grown to a global empire that we know today.

Mexico City (Tenochtitlan was originally called) was founded by the Aztecs in 1325.

Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes landed there in 1519 and soon conquered the land. Tenochtitlan was renamed "Mexico" in the 15th century, because it is the name of the Spaniards was easier to pronounce.

Since the 16th century, Mexico rastraivaytes on trellis system (typical of many Spanish colonial cities) to the main square called Zócalo.

At the end of the 19th century, the city began to develop modern infrastructure, including roads, schools and public transport - although most often it concerned only the affluent areas.