Portal:Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Portal
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View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park. -
Old town Skyline. -
Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
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Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night.
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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
Saint Stephen's Church is located in the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the bottom of Saint Vincent Street. It was built in 1827–1828, to a design by architect William Henry Playfair (1789–1857).
The first minister of the church was William Muir, who opened an evening school in the large vaulted cellars of the church for the education of the illiterate. (Full article...)
Selected images
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Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
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Architecture in Edinburgh -
Ratho Park Golf Club -
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Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
Sir Walter Scott -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
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Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art -
The Castle Rock -
View over Edinburgh -
St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
The Governor's House -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
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The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
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The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
View looking west along George Street -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop
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Selected transportation article
Edinburgh Trams is a tramway in Edinburgh, Scotland, operated by Edinburgh Trams Ltd. It is an 18.5-kilometre (11.5 mi) line between Newhaven and Edinburgh Airport, with 23 stops.
A modern tram network for Edinburgh was proposed by Edinburgh Council in 1999, with detailed design work being performed over the next decade. Construction of the first phase, linking Edinburgh Airport with Newhaven, began in June 2008, but encountered substantial delays and cost overruns. During 2009, a 15-year contract held by Transdev to operate and maintain the tram network was cancelled. By mid 2010, cancellation of the whole project was being publicly considered; during the following year it was announced that the length of the tram network would be drastically curtailed. Prior to August 2011, the project was overseen by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE), a company wholly owned by Edinburgh Council; TIE was disbanded largely due to its failings on the project's delivery. The troubled construction of the Edinburgh Tram was subject to a lengthy formal inquiry, chaired by Lord Hardie, which concluded that failings by Edinburgh Council and its arms-length companies were largely to blame for the delays in construction. (Full article...)
Selected area article
Ratho Station is a commuter village of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, located in Edinburgh council area. It is located south of Edinburgh Airport; the community has a population of approximately 600. About 300 houses are within the village limit.
The name derives from the closed railway station of the same name (itself named after the nearby village of Ratho), which in 1917 was the site of a rail crash which killed 12 people. (Full article...)
Selected environment article
Blackford Pond is a small, artificial pond in the Blackford area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The pond was created during the Victorian Era in a glacial hollow in the Blackford region of Edinburgh.
According to Ordnance Survey maps, it was created between 1800 and 1900 in an ice-scoured hollow. (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
The Edinburgh Evening News is a daily newspaper and website based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded by John Wilson (1844–1909) and first published in 1873. It is printed daily, except on Sundays. It is owned by National World, which also owns The Scotsman.
Much of the content of the Evening News concerns local issues such as transport, health, the local council and crime in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The paper has a significant number of journalists covering sport, with a dedicated reporter assigned to each of the city's football teams, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. (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
Myreside Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Edinburgh, Scotland. The first recorded match held on the ground came in 1901 when George Watson's College played Blair Lodge School. The ground held its first first-class match when Scotland played Ireland in 1982, while in 1990 it held a second first-class fixture between the sides. The ground held its first List A match when Scotland played Glamorgan in the 1985 NatWest Trophy. Five further List A matches were played there, the last of which saw Scotland play Worcestershire in the 1993 NatWest Trophy.
The ground is still in use today by Watsonians Cricket Club. (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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