Edinburgh

View at Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town

Edinburgh is the capital and second largest city of Scotland, part of Great Britain. In the Scottish dialect it is pronounced "Eddinborough". It has about half a million inhabitants. Edinburgh is located in the Scottish lowlands on the Firth of Forth. This is a part of the North Sea that protrudes into the mainland. Large bridges for cars and the railroad run over it.

In ancient times the area around Edinburgh was settled by Celts. The city was founded a little later in the early Middle Ages. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 15th century to the early 18th century. With the Act of Union in 1707, Scotland became part of the United Kingdom. Before that, Edinburgh Castle, located on a hill high above the old town, served as the residence of the Scottish kings. Since 1999 the Scottish Parliament has its seat in Edinburgh again.

Today Edinburgh is one of the UK's most visited cities. In addition to Edinburgh Castle, the sights include the 12th century Gothic Cathedral of St. Giles. Edinburgh is now one of the most important cities for the UK economy. In addition to tourism, banks are particularly important. The port on the Firth of Forth also brings a lot of money. If you look at certain figures, such as average income, Edinburgh is actually the second richest city in the country after London.