Portal:Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Portal
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Old town Skyline. -
Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
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Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park. -
View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night.
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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
Governor's House is a building situated on the southernmost spur of Calton Hill, beside the south-east corner of Old Calton Burial Ground, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It looks out over Waverley Station, the Canongate and Holyrood Park to the south.
The building of 1815–17 is all that remains of Calton Jail, once the largest prison in Scotland, completed in 1817. It was designed by Archibald Elliot (1761-1823) who was also responsible for the nearby Waterloo Place and Regent Arch. The House contained the Committee Room used by the Commissioners who governed the prison. (Full article...)
Selected images
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Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
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The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
View over Edinburgh -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art -
City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
The Governor's House -
The Castle Rock -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
Ratho Park Golf Club -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
Sir Walter Scott -
Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
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View looking west along George Street -
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Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh
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Selected transportation article
Haymarket railway station is the second largest railway station in Edinburgh, Scotland, after Waverley railway station.
The station serves as a major commuter and long-distance destination, located near the city centre, in the West End. Trains from the station serve much of Scotland, including Fife and Glasgow, as well as suburban lines to the east, and the East Coast Main Line through to London King's Cross. It is the fifth busiest railway station in Scotland. (Full article...)
Selected area article
Newington is a neighbourhood of southern Edinburgh, Scotland. Developed from the early 19th century, it is an affluent, predominantly residential area.
Located between 1 and 2+1⁄2 miles (1.5 and 4 kilometres) south of Edinburgh city centre, Newington is bounded to the east by St Leonard's and Prestonfield; to the south by Cameron Toll and Nether Liberton; to the west by Blackford, the Grange, and Sciennes; and to the north by the Southside, Edinburgh. Historically part of the parishes of St Cuthbert's and Liberton in the county of Midlothian, Newington was incorporated into the city of Edinburgh between 1832 and 1896. (Full article...)
Selected environment article
Cramond Island (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Chair Amain) is one of several islands in the Firth of Forth in eastern Scotland, near Edinburgh. It lies off the foreshore at Cramond. It is 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) long and covers 19.03 acres (7.70 ha). The island is part of the Dalmeny Estate, owned by the Rosebery Estates Partnership. (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
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which runs alongside it. The latter is the largest event of its kind in the world. (Full article...)
Selected education article
Heriot-Watt University (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by royal charter in 1966. It is the eighth-oldest higher education institution in the United Kingdom. The name Heriot-Watt was taken from Scottish inventor James Watt and Scottish philanthropist and goldsmith George Heriot.
The annual income of the institution for 2022–23 was £259.5 million of which £33 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £266.7 million. Known for its focus on science as well as engineering, it is one of the 23 colleges that were granted university status in the 1960s, and it is sometimes considered a plate glass university, like Lancaster and Warwick. (Full article...)
Selected sports article
Meggetland is a multi-purpose sports pavilion in Edinburgh, Scotland. The complex consists of multiple astroturf and grass pitches for football, rugby, hockey, and cricket, regularly hosting these sports. Notably, the ground hosted three Edinburgh Rugby matches during the 2013–14 Pro 12 season against Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and Munster.
In January 2016, the Edinburgh Wolves announced that due to the closure of Meadowbank Stadium for redevelopment, they would be moving to play their home games for the 2016 season at Meggetland. (Full article...)
Selected religion article
St Giles' Cathedral (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel. St Giles' is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox, who served as the church's minister after the Scottish Reformation.
Likely founded in the 12th century and dedicated to Saint Giles, the church was elevated to collegiate status by Pope Paul II in 1467. In 1559, the church became Protestant with John Knox, the foremost figure of the Scottish Reformation, as its minister. After the Reformation, St Giles' was internally partitioned to serve multiple congregations as well as secular purposes, such as a prison and as a meeting place for the Parliament of Scotland. In 1633, Charles I made St Giles' the cathedral of the newly created Diocese of Edinburgh. Charles' attempt to impose doctrinal changes on the presbyterian Scottish Kirk, including a Prayer Book causing a riot in St Giles' on 23 July 1637, which precipitated the formation of the Covenanters and the beginnings of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. St Giles' role in the Scottish Reformation and the Covenanters' Rebellion has led to its being called "the Mother Church of World Presbyterianism". (Full article...)
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