In the late 12th century, English scholars began to gather to hear lectures in Oxford, having been banned by Henry II from studying at the University of Paris. Today the University has 39 colleges, founded between 1249 and 1996, whose architectural splendor, together with that of the University's libraries and museums, gives the city its unique character. All together, the University enrolls approximately 15,000 students each year. At the same time, Oxford has developed as a major commercial and industrial center, with a population of 160,000.
Education plays a significant role in the economic and social life of the city.
Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, and the Oxford College of Further Education, together with the many tutorial colleges, language schools, and secretarial colleges contribute to the high proportion of students in the population. Oxford University Press and several other locally based publishing houses have established the city as a major center of the publishing industry, and Oxford is particularly well supplied with bookshops. The city has many pubs, cafes, and restaurants, and a full range of shops within easy reach. A few minutes' walk takes you to the tranquil greenery of the University Parks, Christ Church Meadow, or the Botanic Garden, while only a few minutes further is the windswept expanse of Port Meadow, on which horses and cattle have grazed beside the river for 1,000 years. The city has four theaters, several cinemas, and a variety of venues for music of all kinds.