Scotland’s Major Cities: Culture, History, and Attractions
Edinburgh: Festivals and Hogmanay Celebrations
In August, thousands of people come to the Edinburgh Festival. At the festival, you can see and do hundreds of different things, including:
- Singing and dancing
- Cinema and theatre performances
- Book readings and picture exhibitions
Also in August, every evening for three weeks, you can attend the Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. There you can see soldiers and hear music from Scotland and from lots of other countries.
On 31 December, everyone wants to be in the city center for the famous street party for Hogmanay—that is the Scottish name for New Year’s Eve. But there are only 100,000 tickets, and they go very quickly! The party begins in one year and finishes in the next—that is a good time!
Glasgow: Scotland’s Largest City
Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest city and the third biggest in the United Kingdom after London and Birmingham. About 630,000 people live in the city, and about 1.2 million live in and near it. It is not very far from Edinburgh—about 50 minutes by train—but it is very different.
The History of the River Clyde
The River Clyde runs through the center of Glasgow, and it has an important part in the city’s story. Two hundred years ago, Glasgow was a small town. Then, British ships began to go all over the world. Big ships came up and down the River Clyde, carrying goods from other countries. In the 1800s, Britain was the richest country in the world. Shipbuilding became very important, and Glasgow became a city of shipbuilders. At one time, it was the fourth largest city in Europe after London, Paris, and Berlin. You can see some of the beautiful buildings from that time in George Square.
Modern Glasgow: Culture and Shopping
Today there is not much shipbuilding; some parts of Glasgow are very poor, and many people have no work. But things are changing in Glasgow. Ask a Glaswegian (a person from Glasgow); to them, Glasgow is the friendliest city in Britain, and one of the most exciting cities in Britain too.
Glasgow offers excellent nightlife and is perhaps the best city in Britain after London for shopping. Like Edinburgh, it is a green city, boasting 70 parks, and you can often see the hills from the city center.
Glasgow’s Museums and Art
Glasgow is a city of museums. Key cultural sites include:
- The Glasgow City Museum and Art Gallery
- The Burrell Collection
- Pollok House (south of the Clyde)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Legacy
Glasgow is the city of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. About a hundred years ago, Mackintosh and three friends pioneered a new look in building: Art Nouveau. Much of Mackintosh’s best work is in Glasgow. His Glasgow School of Art is on Renfrew Street. After you visit it, you can have a coffee at the Willow Tea Rooms, also designed by Mackintosh, on Sauchiehall Street.
Football in Glasgow
Glasgow is, of course, a big football city. You can watch major matches on Saturdays between August and May:
- Glasgow Celtic at Celtic Park
- Glasgow Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium
The Other Key Scottish Cities
Aberdeen: The Oil Capital
Aberdeen, with 192,000 people, is the third biggest city in Scotland. It is in the east of the country, on the North Sea, situated between two rivers: the Dee and the Don. Fishing and shipbuilding were once important here, but now it is famous as the Oil Capital of the UK. Boats and planes leave Aberdeen every day for the oil and gas fields of the North Sea.
Aberdeen features two universities and many wonderful parks and gardens. Notable people from Aberdeen include the musicians Annie Lennox and Evelyn Glennie. Visitors often go to its beautiful long beach or go climbing south of the city. Aberdeen is close to the cold and beautiful mountains called the Cairngorms, and there are more than 350 castles in this part of the country. One of them is Balmoral, the Queen’s castle, where Queen Elizabeth comes every summer.
Dundee: Home of Discovery and Marmalade
Dundee, on the River Tay, is also near the North Sea. Like Glasgow and Aberdeen, it was once important for shipbuilding. The ship Discovery was built here and left Dundee in 1901 for Antarctica. Now, more than a hundred years later, the ship is back in Dundee, and you can visit it there.
Dundee is also famous for… marmalade! The Keiller family began making orange marmalade here in 1797, and it became famous all over the world.
Inverness: Gateway to the Highlands
Inverness is the only city in the Highlands. The best bagpipers in the world come here to play every September. It is close to the beautiful lake called Loch Ness (loch is the Gaelic word for ‘lake’). A very big animal called the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, lives in Loch Ness.