Page 59 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Scotland

SC O TLAND REGION B Y REGION  57

EDINBURGH

The historic status of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is
beyond question, with ancient buildings scattered across the
city, and the seat of Scotland’s Parliament lying close to the
royal residence of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The range of
his torical and artistic attractions draws visitors from all over
the world.

Castle Rock in Edinburgh has been Georgian New Town to the north in the
occupied since around 1,000 BC in the late 1700s gave the wealthy an escape
Bronze Age, which is no surprise given its route, but even today Edinburgh has a
strategic views over the Firth of Forth. reputation for social extremes. It has major
The Castle itself houses the city’s oldest law courts, is second only to London as
build ing, St Margaret’s Chapel, dat ing from a financial centre in the British Isles and
the 11th century. A few years after it was houses the Scottish Par liament. Bankers
built, Margaret’s son, King David I, founded and lawyers form the city’s establish ment,
Holyrood Abbey a mile to the east. The town and the most ambitious architectural
that grew along the route between these developments have been for financial
buildings, the “Royal Mile”, became a sector companies. Yet out lying housing
popular residence of kings, although not estates, built after World War II, still have
until the reign of James IV (1488–1513) did echoes of the Old Town poverty.
Edinburgh gain the status of Scotland’s Edinburgh is best known today as a
capital. James built the Palace of major tourist centre. There are wonderful
Holyrood house as a royal residence in 1498 museums and galleries to visit, and the
and made the city an administrative centre. city enjoys a widely renowned nightlife. At
Overcrowding made the Old Town a the height of the Inter national Festival, in
dirty and difficult place to live, and threw August, it is estimated that the population
rich and poor together. The construction of a doubles from 400,000 to 800,000.

A juggler performing at the annual arts extravaganza, the Edinburgh Festival
Dugald Stewart Monument and the view over Edinburgh’s city centre from Calton Hill

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