Manchester marks a very special 200th birthday today - and you can see the celebrations across the city

Today one of Manchester's most-respected institutions will celebrate a huge milestone in its history. The 200th anniversary of Manchester Metropolitan University is being marked by lighting iconic buildings around Manchester with eye-catching animations on Wednesday, January 10.

The animations will reflect the university's historical and ongoing connection to the city. Tracing its roots back to the Manchester Mechanics Institution in 1824, Manchester Metropolitan University has grown to become one of the largest universities in the UK.

It renamed itself Manchester Polytechnic in 1970, later merging with Didsbury College of Education and Hollings College in 1977, as well as City of Manchester College of Higher Education in 1983. After gaining university status in 1992, it rebranded itself as Manchester Metropolitan University.

READ MORE: Brilliant photos of Manchester taken 30 years ago are a trip back in time

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Some of the famous names that have once studied at MMU include the comedian John Bishop and actors Steve Coogan, Bernard Hill and Michelle Yeoh, as well as Sarah Burton OBE - the creative director of Alexander McQueen. The celebrated artist L.S Lowry was also a pupil at the Manchester School of Art in the years after World War One, which is now part of the university.

These days, the university is a huge part of Manchester both culturally and economically, with more than 43,000 students, 5,100 members of staff and has 330,000 alumni across more than 170 countries. It also boasts world-class facilities including its School of Digital Arts (SODA), the Institute of Sport, and the new Faculty of Science and Engineering