Portal:Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Portal
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Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
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Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park. -
View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night. -
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Old town Skyline.
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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 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 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. The financial centre of Scotland, Edinburgh 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
Church Hill Theatre is a Category B listed pink sandstone former church and current theatre venue owned by the Edinburgh City Council. Built originally as Morningside Free Church, the council purchased it in 1960. After undergoing an extensive refurbishment, it re-opened in August 2006. It is managed by the team operating the Assembly Rooms. (Full article...)
Selected images
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City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
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View over Edinburgh -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
The Castle Rock -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
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The Governor's House -
The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
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Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
Sir Walter Scott -
View looking west along George Street -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
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 -
Ratho Park Golf Club -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street
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Selected transportation article
Various studies, from 1989 onwards, considered the reintroduction of trams to Edinburgh. In 2001, a proposal for a new Edinburgh Trams network envisaged three routes across the city, Lines 1, 2 and 3. Line 1 was a circular route running around the northern suburbs, with the other two forming radial lines running out to Newbridge in the west and to Newcraighall in the south respectively. All lines would run through the city centre.
Line 3 was later shelved due to lack of Scottish Parliament approval. Lines 1 and 2 were combined and split into three phases, with Phase 1 being further divided into Phase 1a and 1b. Phases 1b, 2 and 3 were not funded, and as of 2013[update] only a truncated section of the planned Phase 1a line (running from the airport to the city centre) has been constructed. (Full article...)
Selected area article
West Coates or Wester Coates is a residential district of central Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is on the A8, in proximity to Haymarket railway station and Roseburn, west of the city centre, bounded by the Water of Leith on its north side.
As well as numerous small hotels and bed and breakfast lodges, the area was home to Donaldson's College, a former school for the deaf. (Full article...)
Selected environment article
The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Lìte) is the main river flowing through central Edinburgh, Scotland, that starts in the Pentlands Hills and flows into the port of Leith and then into the sea via the Firth of Forth. (Full article...)
Did you know?
- ... that East Suffolk Park, a former student hostel in Edinburgh, was once an internment camp for enemy aliens?
- ... that a lane behind a tenement in Edinburgh is decorated as a Wild West town?
Selected arts article
Alexander Nasmyth (9 September 1758 – 10 April 1840) was a Scottish portrait and landscape painter, a pupil of Allan Ramsay. He also undertook several architectural commissions. (Full article...)
Selected education article
The Transport Research Institute (TRI) is a transportation science facility at Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Full article...)
Selected sports article
The Royal Commonwealth Pool is a category-A-listed building in St Leonard's, Edinburgh, Scotland that houses one of Scotland's main swimming pools. It is usually referred to simply as the Commonwealth Pool and known colloquially as the 'Commie'. (Full article...)
Selected religion article
Edinburgh Central Mosque (officially known as the King Fahd Mosque and Islamic Centre of Edinburgh) is located on Potterrow near the University of Edinburgh central area and the National Museum of Scotland. The mosque and Islamic centre was designed by Dr. Basil Al Bayati, and took more than six years to complete at a cost of £3.5M. The main hall can hold over one thousand worshippers, with women praying on a balcony overlooking the hall. The mosque holds chandeliers and a vast carpet, with very little furniture.
The architecture combines traditional Islamic features with some Scots baronial style. (Full article...)
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