| Page Views: 493 Last Visit to Edinburgh: - | Edinburgh, Scotland by al_mary - last update: Feb 5, 2009 |
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Edinburgh, the capital of the Scots, Auld Reekie,
the Athens of the North, is a city like no other.
A royal capital for centuries, until the Union of 1707,
political power returned with the foundation of the
Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Although the area had been settled before hand,
Edinburgh offically came into existence in 1018 when
King Malcolm II secured the Lothian region from the
English. Edinburgh is the cultural capital of Scotland,
and many of the country's finest minds have hailed
from Edinburgh - David Hume and Adam Smith, fathers
of the Scottish Enlightenment, the writers Arthur Conan
Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin all
come from the city.
Not only is the city a city of letters, it is city of invention,
famous sons include Alexander Graham Bell. Other names,
from various fields, are John Napier, Robet Louis Stevenson
and Tony Blair.
The city has three main areas, the Old Town, the New Town
and Leith. The Old Town has maintained its medieval layout
and has many buildings dating from the time of the Reformation.
The Royal Mile - the city´s main avenue runs through the Old
Town from the Castle, with many lanes running off the main
street like the bones of a fish. The Old Town has many large
squares, which either mark the site of a market or surround
major buildings such at St Giles Cathedral.
The New Town was established in the 18th Century to relieve
overcrowding in the Old Town, designed by the 22 year old
James Craig, who in keeping with the strict rationalism of the
Scottish Enlightenment imposed a grid structure to the New
Town the centre of which was George Street, flanked by Princes
Street - the city´s main shopping area.
In the New Town is the finest example of Georgian town planning,
Charlotte Square, designed by Robert Adam. On the sight of the
Nor´Loch - once the city´s water supply and sewage dump and
drained in the 1820s were built the wonderful Princes Street Gardens.
Leith is Edinburgh´s port town and has maintained a separate
identity from the city itself, and it is the permanent mooring of the
Royal Yacht Brittania.
Edinburgh is a relatively small city, but one that is packed with
the history of Scotland; royal palaces, defensive castles, beautiful
gardens, magnificent avenues, and views to the Pentland Firth and
Arthur´s Seat. Also home to the International Festival, the Fringe
and the lavish Hogmanay celebrations on December 31st, Edinburgh
is a vibrant city with much to do, much to see and many reasons to
return.
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|  | Other Edinburgh Names
The city is affectionately nicknamed "Auld Reekie",
Lowland Scots for Old Smoky" .
Some have called Edinburgh the
"Athens of the North" for a variety of reasons.
The earliest comparison between the two cities
showed that they had a similar topography, with
the Old Town of Edinburgh performing a similar
role to the Acropolis.
Both of them had flatter, fertile agricultural land
sloping down to a port several miles away.
Although this arrangement is common in Southern
Europe, it is rare in Northern Europe.
The 18th century intellectual life, sometimes referred
to as the Scottish Enlightenment, was a key influence
in gaining the name.
Such beacons as David Hume and Adam Smith shone
during this period. Having lost its political importance,
some hoped that Edinburgh could gain a similar civilising
influence on London as Athens had on Rome.
Also a contributing factor was the later neoclassical
architecture, particularly that of William Henry Playfair,
and the National Monument.
Edinburgh has also been known as "Dunedin, deriving "
from the Scottish Gaelic, Dun Eideann. Dunedin,
New Zealand, was originally called "New Edinburgh"
and is still nicknamed the "Edinburgh of the South".
The Scots poets Robert Burns and Robert Fergusson
sometimes referred to the city as "Edina" in their work.
Ben Johnson described it as "Britaine's other eye", and
Sir Walter Scott referred to the City as:
"yon Empress of the North".
Some Scots refer to the city affectionately and informally
as "Embra".
Click On Photo To Enlarge
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Politics
As capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is home to the
Scottish Parliament, as well as frequently hosting
a number of international events, such as
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
and the Council of Europe.
On a national level, the city of Edinburgh is
represented at both Holyrood and Westminster.
At the Scottish Parliament, it returns six MSPs
from the constituencies of Edinburgh North and
Leith, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh East and
Musselburgh, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh
South and Edinburgh West. It dominates the
Lothians parliamentary area, which returns a
further seven MSPs.
In the House of Commons, it is represented by
the five constituencies of Edinburgh South,
Edinburgh West, Edinburgh South West,
Edinburgh North and Leith, and Edinburgh East.
The seat of Edinburgh Central ceased to exist
with redistricting prior to the UK general election,
2005. The seat of Edinburgh Pentlands largely
became Edinburgh South West. Edinburgh
Central was divided up between the remaining
seats, although none of it went to Edinburgh South.
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al_mary's Edinburgh Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 3 - Photos: 11 | Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 1 - Photos: 5 | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for al_mary about Edinburgh | | | | |
Stephanie Thu Feb 12, 2009 20:03 UTC
Looks like you had a comfy apartment in Edinburgh - location is key. :))) | iaint Thu Feb 5, 2009 17:48 UTC
The sun only shone one day last summer; how did you get such good photos? |
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