Portal:Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Portal
Welcome! — Fàilte! — Walcome!
-
-
View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
Old town Skyline. -
Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night. -
-
Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park.
_P-EDI_Banner.jpg){kind=small}
_P-EDI_Banner.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg)
Edinburgh (/ˈɛdɪnbərə/ ⓘ Scots: [ˈɛdɪnbʌrə]; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann [ˌt̪un ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ]) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. The city is located in south-east Scotland, and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth estuary and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in mid-2020, making it the second-most populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area has a population of 912,490.
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 British 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. It 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
Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended to mirror St. Andrew Square in the east. The gardens, one of the collection of New Town Gardens, are private and not publicly accessible. (Full article...)
Selected images
-
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
Sir Walter Scott -
-
View looking west along George Street -
The Castle Rock -
-
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
-
-
View over Edinburgh -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
-
St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art -
Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
The Governor's House -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
Ratho Park Golf Club -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Selected transportation article
The Edinburgh City Bypass, designated as A720, is one of the most important trunk roads in Scotland. Circling around the south of Edinburgh, as the equivalent of a ring road for the coastal city, it links together the A1 towards north-east England, the A702 towards north-west England, the M8 through the Central Belt towards Glasgow, the A7 through south-east Scotland and north-west England as well as the A8 leading to the M9 for Stirling and the Queensferry Crossing.
The road is dual carriageway standard throughout, including emergency laybys and hard shoulders in areas. The road is classed as a special road in legal terms. Every motorway in the UK is termed a special road in that specific regulations govern its use. Not every special road is classed as a motorway and this bypass is one of those roads. (Full article...)
Selected area article
Holyrood (/ˈhɒliruːd/; Scots: Halyruid, Scottish Gaelic: Taigh an Ròid) is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, lying east of the city centre, at the foot of the Royal Mile.
The area takes its name from Holyrood Abbey, which was the Church of the Holy Rude (Scots for 'Holy Cross'). (Full article...)
Selected environment article
Inchmickery is a small island in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It is about two miles (3.2 km) north of Edinburgh.
Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic, Innis nam Biocaire, meaning Isle of the Vicars, implying that there may have been an old ecclesiastical or Culdee settlement here, as in nearby Inchcolm. It features occasionally in a riddle, "How many inches is the Forth?", playing on a pun on 'Inch' (Innis), the Gaelic word for island, and inch, the imperial measurement. (Full article...)
Did you know?
- ... that George Parks was president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and his son Rowan Parks became president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh?
- ... that Prince Philip was the first member of the British royal family to fly in a helicopter?
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
The University of Edinburgh (Scots: University o Edinburgh, Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as Edin. in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter of King James VI in 1582 and officially opened in 1583, it is one of Scotland's four ancient universities and the sixth-oldest university in continuous operation in the English-speaking world. The university played an important role in Edinburgh becoming a chief intellectual centre during the Scottish Enlightenment and contributed to the city being nicknamed the "Athens of the North".
The three main global university rankings (ARWU, THE, and QS) all place Edinburgh within their respective top 40. It is a member of several associations of research-intensive universities, including the Coimbra Group, League of European Research Universities, Russell Group, Una Europa, and Universitas 21. In the fiscal year ending 31 July 2023, it had a total income of £1.341 billion, of which £339.5 million was from research grants and contracts. It has the third-largest endowment in the UK, behind only Cambridge and Oxford. The university occupies five main campuses in the city of Edinburgh, which include many buildings of historical and architectural significance such as those in the Old Town. (Full article...)
Selected sports article
Meggetland Sports Complex, owned by Edinburgh Leisure, is a Sports Pavilion used for a number of International fixtures. Across the five outdoor facilities they hold: 3G Pitch, Astroturf, Football Pitches, Rugby Pitches and Cricket Pitches. They regularly host matches for many clubs and groups, including Boroughmuir Rugby Club, Boroughmuir Hockey Club, Edinburgh Cala Hockey Club, Boroughmuir Thistle Football Club and Boroughmuir Cricket Club. In addition, the ground also hosted three Edinburgh Rugby matches during the 2013–14 Pro 12 season. They hosted Edinburgh against the Ospreys on 28 February, Cardiff Blues on 11 April and Munster on 3 May.
In January 2016, the Edinburgh Wolves (American Football) announced that due to the closure of Meadowbank Stadium for development, 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...)
Related portals
Categories
Topics
In the news
No recent news
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
