A city of somber theatricality, it is a major center for finance, law, tourism, education, and cultural affairs. It’s why we’ve put together 10 interesting facts about Edinburgh you may not know you needed to know.

Getting off scot-free originated when a schoolboy shot a soldier in Edinburgh. It has been suggested that a stronghold was established by the Northumbrians in the seventh century,Edinburgh was largely in English hands from 1291 to 1314 and from 1333 to 1341, during the In 1560, at a time when Scotland's total population was an estimated one million people, Edinburgh's population reached 12,000, with another 4,000 in separate jurisdictions such as Canongate and the port of Leith.The town played a central role in events leading to the The internal religious division within Scottish Protestantism, between The Presbyterian establishment worked to purge the Episcopalians and heretics, and made blasphemy a capital crime. The 6 ton mammoth cannon is capable of firing solid stone cannon balls three times the size of an average human head and weighing nearly 400 pounds. "More piecemeal improvements to the Old Town followed in the early 20th century at the instigation of the pioneering town planner Since the 1990s a new "financial district", including a new Union of the Crowns to Parliamentary Union (17th century)Union of the Crowns to Parliamentary Union (17th century)G and A Ritchie, Scotland, Archaeology and early history, Thames & Hudson 1981, reports Bronze Age finds at Magdalen Bridge, Duddingston Loch, Moredun, Granton and MortonhallG & A Ritchie, Edinburgh and South-East Scotland, Regional Archaeologlogies Series, Heinemann 1972, p.51þam ylcan geare feaht Beorhtfrið ealdorman wið Pehtas betwux Hæfe & CæreAaron M. Allen, "Conquering the Suburbs: Politics and Work in Early Modern Edinburgh," R C Paterson, A Land Afflicted, Scotland And The Covenanter Wars 1638–1690, John Donald 1998Helen Dingwall, The Importance of Social Factors in Determining the Composition of the Town Councils in Edinburgh 1550–1650. The narrow lanes leading to the north and south, by reason of their steepness, narrowness and dirtiness, can only be considered as so many unavoidable nuisances. Edinburgh boasts one of the world’s most famous castles, towering over the city. Since 15th century, it has served as the capital of Scotland. The area around modern-day Edinburgh has been inhabited for thousands of years. Its origins as a settlement can be traced to the early Middle Ages when a hillfort was established in the area, most likely on the Castle Rock. The town that developed next to the stronghold was established by royal charter in the early 12th century, and by the middle In the period 1550 to 1650, Edinburgh's town council was controlled by merchants despite efforts by the king's agents to manipulate it. It’s not surprising then that the word ‘caddie’ is believed to have its roots in Edinburgh too. 5. Seán Damer recalls growing up in the 1940s and 1950s in working-class Irish Catholic neighbourhoods. Confined by the small compass of the walls, and the narrow limits of the royalty, which scarcely extends beyond the walls, the houses stand more crowded than in any other town in Europe, and are built to a height that is almost incredible. It was characterized by social introversion, conformity, and ritual, as well as "a marked restriction of intellectual, cultural, and political horizons. They sponsored professional musicians and opened the concerts to their womenfolk. Learn more about the city and its history in this article. Women suspected of practicing witchcraft were cast into the watery depths to determine their guilt. Facts about Edinburgh 2: the major institutions

As a state of protest, some schoolboys barricaded their bedrooms and refused to go to school. The most important factors in obtaining the office were social status, followed by wealth; a person's religion made relatively little difference. In fact, it refers to the smoke emitted by coal and wood burnt in the city’s buildings and homes.Famed for its beautiful blooms, Princess Street Gardens was once a large body of water known as ‘Nor Loch’.

Built on 350-million year old volcanic rock, Edinburgh Castle easily rivals any castle from Game of Thrones with its amazing history and stunning views. THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL IS THE LARGEST ARTS FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD This migration changed the social character of Edinburgh, which a kind of double city—first, an ancient and picturesque hill-built one, occupied chiefly by the humbler classes; and second, an elegant modern one, of much regularity of aspect, and possessed almost as exclusively by the more refined portion of society.According to Youngson, the foremost historian of this development, "Unity of social feeling was one of the most valuable heritages of old Edinburgh, and its disappearance was widely and properly lamented." Flautist and composer Representative of the far-reaching impact of the Scottish Enlightenment was the new From around 1820 the city acquired its soubriquets "Modern Athens" and "Athens of the North" because of a perceived similarity in topography, the Although Edinburgh's traditional industries of printing, brewing and distilling continued to grow in the 19th century and were joined by new firms in In the meantime the Old Town continued to decay into an increasingly dilapidated, overcrowded slum with high mortality rates,Owing to its comparative lack of industry, Edinburgh was not targeted as part of the German bombing campaign against British cities in the early part of the The tight-knit Irish Catholic community, which resulted from a steady influx of Irish immigrants in the previous century, formed a distinctive subculture in the city. As a welcome back for all our guests, we’re offering 30% off city stays this July & August. If they couldn’t, they were presumed innocent … even though they met the same bitter end.Our list of interesting facts about Edinburgh would not be complete without a strange superstition or two of the city’s locals. The proposals for improvement envisaged the building of a new Exchange for merchants (now the From the late-1760s onwards, the professional and business classes gradually deserted the Old Town in favour of the more desirable "one-family" residences of the New Town, with separate attic or basement accommodation for domestic servants. Edinburgh History.