The name of the town is of Saxon origin. "Wath" meant "to hunt," so Watford means "the ford that was used for hunting." The early history of the town is relatively unknown. Watford itself is first mentioned in a will in the 10th century. The abbots of St. Albans controlled the town and its inhabitants until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The Watford estate remained in the possession of the Crown until 1609. It was then sold to the Lord Chancellor. In 1770, it became the property of the Earl of Essex. From then on, the Essex family played a major role in the history of the town. The splendor of Cassiobury Park is a lasting reminder of their reign.

Ultimately, however, it was the good rail connections that transformed Watford from a peaceful market town into a bustling commercial center. Watford Junction railway station opened in 1838. To this day, it enables many commuters living in Hertfordshire to quickly reach their workplaces in London. In addition, new industries began to settle in Watford.

In Watford itself, it is particularly worthwhile visiting various parks and gardens. Cheslyn Gardens has interesting flower beds with a selection of rare plants, trees, and shrubs, aviaries, and ponds, all laid out in a rural style. The various churches and religious buildings in Watford are also worth seeing, as Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Mormons, Muslims, Hindus, and others have built their places of worship here. Watford's parish church, St. Mary's, is one of the largest in Hertfordshire.

In the vicinity, about 15 minutes away by car, is the town of St. Albans, founded by the Romans, which was once known by its Latin name Verulamium. In St. Albans, it is worth visiting the magnificent cathedral. Here, as in the Rhine-Hessian community of Bodenheim near Mainz, the feast of the first Christian martyr in England, St. Alban, is celebrated. The Roman excavations and the Verulamium Museum are also fascinating.

World-famous Windsor Castle, one of the royal family's favorite residences, is just 30 minutes from Watford. Here you can spend a whole day in St. George's Chapel, the Queen's private residence (which is open to visitors), and the exhibition of Queen Mary's doll's house. Windsor Great Park is also well worth a visit. The spacious park is open from sunrise to sunset. Its safari park is home to lions, elephants, llamas, dolphins, and many other exotic animal and plant species.

Of course, Watford is also always a good starting point for visiting the many sights of the British capital and global metropolis of London.

Watford has preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools, high schools, a college, and a music school. As the city is located in the immediate catchment area of London, some of London's universities and colleges have established branches in Watford. Otherwise, Watford students can of course attend London University.

Watford was and remains a commercial town. In the Middle Ages, it primarily served as a market town for the surrounding settlements. The first market concessions were granted by Henry I. That is why today's market in Watford, which consists of 300 stalls, is held on "Concession Square." The range of goods on offer in the shops is still extensive today. Shoppers come from all over the surrounding area.

A well-known truck and engine manufacturing company, the printing industry, and a company specializing in mother and child products have contributed to economic prosperity and a very low unemployment rate.

The printing industry was undoubtedly one of the city's most important employers. After all, William Caxton, a native of Watford, introduced movable type printing to England. This bridge, which Gutenberg's successor built between the two cities five centuries ago, was ultimately the root of the friendship between Mainz and Watford, which was officially sealed in 1956. Major structural changes in the industrial sector have led to Watford increasingly presenting itself as a service center today.

There are many leisure and recreational opportunities in and around Watford. Cassiobury Park is an outstanding leisure area with various sports fields, paddling pools, playgrounds, and nature trails that invite visitors to take walks in the woods and along the river. Although the manor house no longer stands today, the park itself is well worth seeing. Nature lovers can enjoy not only this park, but also Whippendell Woods, a huge forest area with many hiking trails. The old English garden tradition can be admired in Cheslyn Gardens. Magnificent flower beds and the scent of herbs in summer appeal to all the visitor's senses. Watford

offers sports enthusiasts a wide range of options. In the park-like "Woodside," you can play cricket, golf, and bowling, as well as go running. The Watford Leisure Center offers badminton and squash courts. You can swim at Central Baths, the Bill Everett Center, which also offers badminton, step aerobics, and volleyball, and Watford Springs, which has solariums, steam rooms, and saunas.

According to the Guardian newspaper, Watford's Palace Theatre is the most successful theater in Great Britain. It has an average audience capacity of 95 percent, which is partly due to performances by top international stars. The Pump House Theatre and Arts Centre is not a theater in the traditional sense, but rather an arts center. It offers a wide range of artistic activities, from theater to folk music and jazz.

Another cultural asset of Watford is a Georgian mansion, the founding site of the Benskins Brewery, which was converted into a museum and opened in 1981. Here you can learn about the history of Watford. The Watford Show takes place annually on the first Saturday in September. The Horticultural Show, a fair with over 100 stalls, offers fun for the whole family for three to four days during the same period.

The Artlinks Arts Festival in the second week of October invites visitors to admire art from other countries and, of course, from Watford's twin towns. The town hall's public meeting room, renowned for its excellent acoustics, hosts concerts by outstanding philharmonic orchestras. The weekly dance events held there are extremely popular. Of course, there are other entertainment options available, including typical English pubs, discos, cinemas, and nightclubs.

Watford is known for its excellent traditional English cuisine. Equally popular among tourists and locals alike are the meat and sausage pies covered in pastry, which come in a wide variety of flavors.

Fish lovers have the opportunity to catch their own delicacies in special fish farms around Watford and then enjoy them fresh. The English beers are definitely worth trying. Watford is particularly famous for Benskins Ale, whose quality is due to water tapped from underground gypsum rock since the 16th century.