Edinburgh

I

Introduction

Edinburgh, city, capital of Scotland, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. Edinburgh is the second largest city in Scotland, after Glasgow, and is Scotland’s financial, cultural, educational, and service industry hub. Edinburgh’s history and architectural riches make it one of the chief tourism centers in the United Kingdom.

Situated on the shores of east-central Scotland, Edinburgh stands on a group of hills and crags between the Firth of Forth—the estuary of the Forth River, which empties into the North Sea—and the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh’s climate is cool and frequently cloudy with moderate rainfall. The city’s nearness to the sea generally precludes extreme temperatures.

Edinburgh is the seat of government in Scotland. The 129-member Scottish Parliament, created in 1999, meets in a specially built complex along the city’s Royal Mile, near Holyrood Palace. Scotland’s system of legal administration is also centered in Edinburgh, where the Scottish Supreme Courts meet.

II

Economy

Fundamental to the well-being of Edinburgh’s economy is the performance of its service industry sector, which now accounts for about 80 percent of employment in the city (in public administration, education, medicine, finance, tourism, distribution, and transport and communications). Manufacturing, although still significant, is in decline. The city’s principal economic strengths lie in financial services, tourism, electronics, and information technology.

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The importance of financial services—banking, insurance, and funds management—has always been considerable in Edinburgh and has strengthened in recent decades. Leading financial institutions with headquarters in Edinburgh are among the city’s largest private sector employers. Edinburgh is the most important tourist destination in Scotland and Britain’s most popular destination after London.

Edinburgh’s chief manufacturing industries are electrical and electronic equipment; paper, printing, and publishing; food and drink; and, to a lesser degree, chemicals. In addition to leading companies such as Hewlett-Packard, a growing number of small firms in the electrical and electronics field specialize in advanced technology. Edinburgh’s three universities are also at the forefront of the development of new technologies and their applications. The printing and publishing industry was well established in the city by the 16th century, while Scotch whisky constitutes one of the city’s important exports. Edinburgh’s port facilities, at the towns of Leith and Granton, service vessels associated with the North Sea petroleum industry.

III

Places of Interest

Edinburgh’s central dominating landmark is Edinburgh Castle, rising on sheer cliffs above the city. Located in the castle is the 11th-century Chapel of Saint Margaret, the city’s oldest structure. Scottish crown jewels are on display in the castle. The Castle Rock is connected to the 16th-century royal Scottish residence of Holyrood Palace by a road known as the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the Old Town district of the city. Other notable buildings in Old Town include Saint Giles, the National Church of Scotland (largely 15th century); the Parliament House, seat of the Scottish Parliament from its completion in 1639 until 1707; and the house of the 16th-century Protestant reformer John Knox.

To the north of the Old Town is New Town. This area was developed in the late 18th century as a pioneering venture in town planning and contains many fine examples of Georgian architecture, including buildings designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam. Separating the two districts is Princes Street Gardens, occupying the bed of a loch (lake) that was drained in 1816. Princes Street itself has been described as one of the most beautiful thoroughfares in the world. Beside it there is a large neo-Gothic monument to Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott.

Among Edinburgh’s cultural institutions are the National Gallery of Scotland (1859), the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (1882), the Royal Museum of Scotland (1854), and museums of modern art and Scottish history. The Edinburgh International Festival, held here annually since 1947, is a world-renowned arts festival. The University of Edinburgh (1583) is especially noted for its schools of medicine and law. Other educational institutions include Heriot-Watt University (1821), Edinburgh College of Art (1907), and colleges of architecture, technology, education, and theology.

IV

History

Castle Rock was occupied by the Picts about the 6th century ad. In the 11th century Malcolm III, king of Scotland, had his castle here, and his wife, Saint Margaret, built a small church. King Robert Bruce granted Edinburgh a charter in 1329. In 1437 the town became the national capital following the murder of King James I at Perth, the former capital. Edinburgh lost much of its commercial and administrative importance in 1603 when James VI became James I, king of England, and departed for London. By the Act of Union with England in 1707, the Scottish Parliament was dissolved and Scotland was governed by the British Parliament.

Edinburgh's expansion beyond its medieval boundaries to New Town was planned by the town council in 1767. During the 18th and 19th centuries the city flourished as a cultural center. It was the home of writers Robert Burns, James Boswell, and Sir Walter Scott; philosopher David Hume; economist Adam Smith; and physicist James Clerk Maxwell. The city’s boundaries were expanded considerably in 1856 (when New Town was absorbed), 1900, and 1920. With its limited industrial base, Edinburgh largely escaped the ravages of economic depression in the 1930s and the bombing endured by other British cities in World War II. In 1995 the city was designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Before 1975 Edinburgh was the county town of the former county of Midlothian. In the 1996 reorganization of local government, the City of Edinburgh became a unitary authority. In 1999 Scotland gained its own parliament for the first time in nearly 300 years. A new Scottish Parliament building opened in Edinburgh in 2004. Population (2001 estimate) 449,000.