5 Things You Didn’t Know About Edinburgh!
- July 20, 2014
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Heading to Edinburgh for the first time? Then here are 5 things you might not know!
Beautiful Edinburgh. The capital of Scotland, and home of some of the most famous sites and landmarks on Earth. But there’s more to Edinburgh than beauty. Its history rich, its culture diverse, you might be surprised at how much you don’t know about the city.
The highest hill is a volcano
If you take a trip to Edinburgh, then heading up one of the seven hills is a must. And most head to Arthur’s Seat, the highest of the seven at 822 feet. But what many people traversing the hill don’t realise is that it’s actually an extinct volcano. Don’t let that put you off though. It offers stunning views of the city.
It’s a UNESCO City of Literature
What’s more, it was the first UNESCO City of Literature. It gained the title back in 2004 thanks to its vast literary heritage. Once a year there’s a festival hosted honouring books and literature, and if you’re a fan of Hogwarts, why not visit the cafe where J.K Rowling wrote Harry Potter?
It hasn’t always been Scottish
Today, Edinburgh epitomises Scotland. But it hasn’t always been this way. In 731 AD, Bede (an English Monk) completed his ‘History’ where he wrote that Edinburgh was part of Northumbria… an English County. It wasn’t until around 960 AD that it became a Scottish city.
The castle has never been taken by force
And it’s the only castle in Europe not to have been taken by force. Placed high upon its hill the castle lets off cannon at 1pm every day keeping with tradition. It now houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, somewhere someone would like to invade, surely?
It has the largest street party on Earth
Each New Year more than 100,000 people descend onto the streets of the City for its annual ‘Hogmanany’ celebrations. With fireworks, torch processions, music, merriment and everything else, it’s one of the most exciting ways to spend New Years on Earth.
So there you go. 5 things you might not have known about Edinburgh. Why not pay a visit to the city, and stop by here at Mad Max for some fun activities to break your day up!
- Filed Under: Scotland
