Edinburgh at 900

Scotland's capital is celebrating its 900th birthday! Edinburgh was one of the five royal burghs founded by King David I in 1124. From a small town in the Middle Ages, it has enlarged to a diverse city of 500,000 people. The contrasting medieval Old Town culminating in the Castle high on a volcanic rock and the elegant planned 18th-century New Town attract millions of visitors every year.

Edinburgh Castle is in a perfect site to defend from intruders and archaeologists think the site has been occupied since about 1000 B.C.E. It has been used as a royal castle since Malcolm III Canmore (1058–93). It was a royal residence and fortress and saw a lot of conflict. It is the most besieged place in Britain.

As well as housing military museums and being a visitor attraction, the Castle is still a military base today. Don't be surprised to hear the sound of a cannon being fired as you walk around town. The One O'clock gun is fired by military officers Monday to Saturday, a familiar sound for locals.

The Castle also home to the Military Tattoo during the Edinburgh International Festival in August. Since 1947, the Festival, along with the much bigger Fringe, has become the biggest arts festival in the world, with theatre, dance, comedy, circus, visual arts, films, books and more.

Until the 18th century, Edinburgh was a medieval city of narrow streets perched on the slope between the Castle and Holyrood, which was originally an abbey but became the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch's residence, in the 16th century. Holyrood is also the name used for the nearby modern Scottish Parliament, which opened in 2004.

From 1767, a symmetrical, planned New Town was built, separated from the Old Town by the Nor Loch, a lake which was drained and transformed into a park.

Education and Enlightenment
Edinburgh had been a university city since 1583 and during the Protestant Reformation was witness to fierce debates on religion and philosophy, often lead by fiery preacher John Knox (1514-1572). In the second half of the 18th century, it was the ideas of the Enlightenment which dominated with philosophers David Hume and Adam Smith, the architects Robert and James Adams, the creation of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the contributions of the many scientists and medical practitioners trained at the university.

But it wasn't all intellectual rigour. Edinburgh was a port and commerce, industry and banking formed its economic base.

Spooky Legends
The gothic atmosphere of the Old Town in particular inspires tales of ghosts and supernatural creatures. Over the centuries, buildings were put up, destroyed and replaced, leaving secret streets, tunnels and buried graveyards that spark the imagination.

Nine hundred years is more than enough time to build up a massive hoard of stories, tales and myths. What will the next 900 bring?

Celebrations of the anniversary will continue through until August 2025.