Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland since the 15th century. With a population of around 525,000, it is the second largest city in Scotland after Glasgow.

The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Castle Rock is of volcanic origin. Archaeological excavations have revealed traces of settlement dating back to around the 9th century BC.

It is assumed that a fort was built on Castle Rock in the 7th century. The first documented mention of Edinburgh Castle is found in a chronicle written in the 14th century, in which a castle in Edinburgh is mentioned in connection with the death of King Malcolm III in 1093. The oldest surviving building, St Margaret's Chapel, dates from the beginning of the 12th century.

It was not until 1314 that the castle was conquered for the Scots by Robert the Bruce's nephew. The castle was then deliberately destroyed, fell to the English again in 1335 and was retaken in 1341 by Sir William Douglas and his Scots. During the Scottish Wars of Independence (1296-1357), it was repeatedly conquered by English troops and recaptured by Scottish troops, as a result of which the existing building fabric was largely destroyed.

David II, Bruce's son, finally had the fortress rebuilt. After his death, kingship passed to the Stuarts (Stewarts), under whose rule the castle became one of the most important royal castles in Scotland. Mary Stuart, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth I of England, also resided here before she was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle in 1567 and forced to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son James VI.