Durham, also known as the City of Durham, is a cathedral city and civil parish in the district and county of Durham, England. The city is on the banks of the River Wear.
The settlement was founded over the final resting place of St Cuthbert. Durham Cathedral was a centre of pilgrimage in medieval England. Durham Castle has been the home of Durham University since 1832. Both 11th-century buildings, the castle and cathedral were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. It is the historic County Palatine of Durham's centre of governance. HM Prison Durham is also located close to the city centre and was built in 1816.