Portal:Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Portal
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Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night. -
View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
Old town Skyline. -
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park. -
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Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in 2020, making it the second-most populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area had a population of 912,490 in the same year.
Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, the highest courts in Scotland, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. It is also the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scottish law, literature, philosophy, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of three in the city, is considered one of the best research institutions in the world. The financial centre of Scotland, Edinburgh is the second-largest financial centre in the United Kingdom, the fourth largest in Europe, and the thirteenth largest internationally.
The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. The city is also known for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th/19th centuries. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999. The city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the UK's second-most visited tourist destination, attracting 4.9 million visits, including 2.4 million from overseas in 2018. (Full article...)
Selected location article
National Galleries Scotland: Modern (the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art) is part of National Galleries Scotland, which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Modern houses the collection of modern and contemporary art dating from about 1900 to the present in two buildings, Modern One and Modern Two, that face each other on Belford Road to the west of the city centre.
The Modern has a collection of more than 6000 paintings, sculptures, installations, video work, prints and drawings and also stages major exhibitions. (Full article...)
Selected images
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Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
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David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
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View looking west along George Street -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
View over Edinburgh -
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The Governor's House -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
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Sir Walter Scott -
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Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
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St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
The Castle Rock -
Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
Ratho Park Golf Club -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
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Selected transportation article
Lothian Buses is a major bus operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom: the City of Edinburgh Council (through Transport for Edinburgh) owns 91%, Midlothian Council 5%, East Lothian Council 3% and West Lothian Council 1%.
Lothian operates the majority of bus services in Edinburgh, and is a significant operator in East Lothian, Midlothian and most recently West Lothian. It operates a comprehensive night bus network, three routes to Edinburgh Airport, and owns the subsidiary companies Lothian Country, East Coast Buses, Edinburgh Bus Tours, Lothian Motorcoaches and Eve Coaches. (Full article...)
Selected area article
East Craigs is a residential district of Edinburgh located in the north-west of the city, on the western flanks of Corstorphine Hill. It lies next to what remains of the green belt, and prior to development was a working farm.
Development of the area began in 1922 when East Craigs Farm was purchased by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA) as a centre for agricultural research. However, much of the land was made available to housing developers from the 1930s onwards. It neighbours West Craigs (which is much less developed, at present), Craigmount, Maybury, Drumbrae and Corstorphine. (Full article...)
Selected environment article
The Braid Hills form an area towards the south-western edge of Edinburgh, Scotland.
The hills themselves are largely open space. Housing in the area is mostly confined to detached villas, and some large terraced houses. The Braid Hills Hotel sits above Pentland Terrace and Comiston Road, overlooking the park across the road. (Full article...)
Did you know?
- ... that East Suffolk Park, a former student hostel in Edinburgh, was once an internment camp for enemy aliens?
- ... that a lane behind a tenement in Edinburgh is decorated as a Wild West town?
Selected arts article
The Usher Hall (Scottish Gaelic: Talla Usher) is a concert hall in the West End of Edinburgh, Scotland. The hall is owned and managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, and has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914.
The venue can hold approximately 2,200 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics. In March 1972, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Hall and compèred by Moira Shearer. This marked the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest had been held in Scotland. It was also the venue of Eurovision Young Musicians in August 2018. In 1986, the Commonwealth Games was hosted by Edinburgh, with the Usher Hall providing the venue for the boxing tournament. (Full article...)
Selected education article
Edinburgh Napier University (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Napier Dhùn Èideann) is a public university in Edinburgh, Scotland. Napier Technical College, the predecessor of the university, was founded in 1964, taking its name from 16th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher John Napier. The technical college was inaugurated as a university in 1992 by Lord Douglas-Hamilton, becoming Napier University. In 2009, the university was renamed Edinburgh Napier University.
The university is based around its three main Edinburgh campuses: Merchiston, Craiglockhart, and Sighthill. It has over 21,000 students, including those on-campus in Scotland and others studying transnational programmes abroad and online. In 2018 this included nearly 9,500 international and EU students, from more than 140 nations worldwide. (Full article...)
Selected sports article
The Goldenacre Sports Ground is located in the Goldenacre area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is owned by the George Heriot's School. Several sports are played here including cricket, association football, tennis, and rugby. It is also the home ground of Heriot's Rugby Club and Heriot's Cricket Club.
The cricket pitch hosted seven matches (two of which are warm ups) for the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. (Full article...)
Selected religion article
The Church of Scotland offices are located in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland (in the New Town) at 121 George Street. These imposing buildings are popularly known in Church circles as "one-two-one". They were designed in a Scandinavian-influenced style by the architect Sydney Mitchell and built in 1909-1911 for the United Free Church of Scotland. Following the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929 the church offices were henceforth used by the newly united church.
A matching extension, incorporating a ground floor bookshop, was built in the 1930s on the east side (119 George Street). A proposed matching extension on the west side (replacing the still-existing buildings at 123 George Street) was never built. 123 George Street is, however, owned by the Church of Scotland and has been incorporated into the offices. The church offices also incorporate a chapel near the main entrance and a staff canteen in the basement. (Full article...)
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