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Edinburgh
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About Edinburgh
The setting of Scotlands capital city could not be more
striking. Located in the Lothians, on the east coast of
Scotland, Edinburgh is perched on a number of extinct
volcano cones and rocky crags and has a brooding, chilly
beauty unequalled anywhere in Britain. The origin of the
name Edinburgh is uncertain. Possibly it‘s a corruption of
Edwin‘s Burgh, Edwin being a ninth-century King of
Northumbria, whose domain extended to the Firth of Forth.
Or it could be derived from Dunedin, or rather “din Eidyn”
(meaning “Eidyn‘s Hill Fort”), the city‘s original name,
mentioned in a poem composed around 600 AD. What is certain
is that Edinburgh has been inhabited since around 1500 BC,
making it one of the longest continuously inhabited places
in northern Europe. The city grew in importance and by the
end of the 15th century was established as Scotland‘s
capital. Scotland‘s links with England became closer after
1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England,
effectively uniting the two crowns. In 1707, the Act of Union
(uniting the Scottish and English parliaments) knocked a
nail into the coffin of Scotland‘s independence, although
Scotland retained its own Church and separate legal and
educational systems. However, with the re-introduction of
the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Edinburgh has become a
centre of political power once again.
The city has successfully established itself as a leading
international centre for business, finance and education.
Industry in Edinburgh continues to boom, with unemployment
running at 2.7% (well below both the Scottish national
average of 4.2% and the UK average of 3.2%). After London,
it is the most important financial centre in Britain. The
city also has four universities. The oldest, the University
of Edinburgh, was established in 1583. Although it is more
conservative than other Scottish cities, such as Glasgow,
Edinburgh is still an exciting, forward-looking capital,
full of art, culture, history and beauty. It has manifold
art galleries and museums, five major performing-arts
theatres and a year-round calendar of international festivals.
The city is also a World Heritage Site, thanks to its
medieval Old Town, 12th-century castle and 18th-century
Georgian New Town. To complete the picture, a large proportion
of the city is composed of green areas and parkland. The
only dull note is its chilly damp climate, best summed up
by the Scottish word “dreich” that translates as “grey,
damp and drizzly”.
For this reason, most tourists descend on Edinburgh in
summer (between July and September) and particularly in
August, for the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival,
when the city is abuzz with cultural activity. There is also
a lively Fringe Festival, Military Tattoo and the Book,
Film and Jazz Festivals running concurrently with the main
event. However, it is also very crowded at this time, with
accommodation booked up for months in advance. Another
influx of visitors occurs over the New Year period, when
the popular Hogmanay Festival takes place. The quietest
time to visit, therefore, is either in the spring or late
autumn, when the attractions are less overrun with tourists
and some hotels offer discounts.
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