Lucknow's medieval history begins with its elevation to a capital city under the Nawabs of Awadh. The architectural contributions of the Awadh rulers include numerous mosques and palaces; many paintings of these are now maintained at the Art Gallery. Of the monuments standing today, the Bara Imambara, the Chhota Imambara, and the Roomi Darwaza are notable examples, although neglect by the authorities has put them in danger of turning into ruins. The province of Awadh (anglicized to Oudh) was annexed by the British East India Company in 1856, and placed under the control of a chief commissioner. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as First War of Indian Independence and the Indian Mutiny), the garrison based at the Residency in Lucknow was besieged by rebel forces. The famous Siege of Lucknow was relieved first by forces under the command of Sir Henry Havelock and Sir James Outram, followed by a stronger force under Sir Colin Campbell. Today, the ruins of the Residency, and the picturesque Shaheed Smarak offer reminiscences of Lucknow's role in the events.

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Situated in the heart of Uttar Pradesh, 500 km south-east of New Delhi, Lucknow is surrounded on the eastern side by Barabanki District, on the western side by Unnao District, on the southern side by Raebareli District and on the northern side by the Sitapur and Hardoi districts. The Gomti River flows through the city, dividing it into the trans-gomti and cis-gomti regions. Some of the tributaries of this river are the Kukrail, Loni, and Beta. The Sai River flows from the south of the city, flows eastwards, and enters the Raebareli District. Lucknow has a warm subtropical climate with a cool dry winter from December to February and a dry, hot summer from April to June. The temperature extremes vary from about 45 C (113 F) in the summer to 3 C (37.4 F) in the winter. Fog is common in winter while hot dry winds called Loo blow during the summer. It receives about 101 cm of annual rainfall mostly from the South-West monsoon winds between July and September. Mean monthly temperatures January: 14.7 C June: 32.9 C

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Biotechnology and IT are the two focus areas to promote economic development in and around the city. Ministry of Science and Technology (India) is setting up a Biotech park in the city. Lucknow is one of the selected cities of the Smart City project of STPI, where IT is being used to promote economic development.Chikan, sometimes anglicised to 'chicken' is an embroidery handicraft which has traditionally been associated with Lucknow, and 'Lakhnawi Zardozi'. IT is being introduced to the Chikan industry to increase productivity with the help of World Bank funded projects. Chikan and Zardozi industry are the major small scale industries in the city. During the period of the nawabs, kite making reached high level of artistry, and is still a major small-scale industry. Sugarcane plantations and sugar industries are major industries in Uttar Pradesh; this attracted Mohan Meakin Brewery to set up a brewery based on molasses in the city.

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