Portal:Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Portal
Welcome! — Fàilte! — Walcome!
-
Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night. -
-
Old town Skyline. -
Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park. -
View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
_P-EDI_Banner.jpg?lang=en){kind=small}
_P-EDI_Banner.jpg?lang=en){kind=small}
.jpg?lang=en)
Edinburgh (/ˈɛdɪnbərə/ ED-in-bər-ə, Scots: [ˈɛdɪnbʌrə]; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann [t̪un ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ]) 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 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 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 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
.jpg?lang=en)
The Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre is a category B listed performing arts and lecture theatre located in the historic George Square in Edinburgh. Primarily operated as a lecture theatre for the University of Edinburgh, it is also used for general theatre performances, as well as being a designated Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue.
In 2018 the University changed the name of the theatre - previously known as George Square Theatre - in memory of Gordon Aikman, a graduate of the University's Business School who raised more than £500,000 for research funding into motor neurone disease. (Full article...)
Selected images
-
St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
-
Ratho Park Golf Club -
View over Edinburgh -
-
View looking west along George Street -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
-
City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
The Governor's House -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art -
-
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
Sir Walter Scott -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
The Castle Rock -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
-
-
Fountain at Holyrood Palace
.jpg?lang=en)
.jpg?lang=en)
.jpg?lang=en)
.jpg?lang=en)
.jpg?lang=en)
.jpg?lang=en)
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
Newcraighall (Scots: Newcraighauch, Scottish Gaelic: Talla na Creige Nuadh) is a South-Eastern suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. A former mining village, its prosperity was based on the Midlothian coalfields. The Newcraighall pit was known as 'Klondyke' and closed in the 1960s, work transferring to nearby Bilston Glen and in particular the last-to-close (1998) Monktonhall pit. The village had a church, a Co-op and a miners' club (demolished after a fire on 15 July 2009) and bowling green. Newcraighall now plays host to an out-of-town shopping complex, Fort Kinnaird, previously known as ‘’Edinburgh Fort (south of Newcraighall Road) and Kinnaird Park (north). Today, the retail park is still commonly referred to as "The Fort" by residents.
Newcraighall railway station is on the newly reopened Borders Railway which runs from Edinburgh to Tweedbank and was formerly part of the Waverley Route to Carlisle its closure (Closed 5 January 1969) following the Beeching Report in 1963. (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 Prince Philip was the first member of the British royal family to fly in a helicopter?
- ... that a lane behind a tenement in Edinburgh is decorated as a Wild West town?
- ... that East Suffolk Park, a former student hostel in Edinburgh, was once an internment camp for enemy aliens?
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 from 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 a crucial role in Edinburgh becoming a leading 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) place the University of 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, the university had a total income of £1.341 billion, with £339.5 million 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 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...)
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
