Exciting Facts About Edinburgh
Posted 10 April 2024
Written by Britannia Web Team 
The Scottish capital is one of the most interesting cities in Europe. It holds a truly rich history that you will not have been taught about in school. There are so many amazing facts about Edinburgh that there simply isn't enough time to tell you about them all! Why not take a trip up to the welcome city and reveal some of its secrets yourself? We have our very own Britannia Hotel Edinburgh that sits right on the bank of the Water of Leith, just waiting for you to walk through the door.
Did you know…
Edinburgh's population doubles when the Fringe Festival comes to town. There are typically over 50,000 performances from 3,000 shows in 300 venues across the city, with people coming from far and wide to experience the world's largest arts festival.
Edinburgh is the birthplace of Harry Potter. Well, not literally, but it is where the idea for the whole wizarding world came about. The author sat in coffee shops such as The Elephant House and those along Victoria Street when writing the world famous stories. Some of the magical films were even filmed in Edinburgh. You can book a guided tour of the locations or simply try to navigate your way around to them on your own.
The Royal Mile, named as such because it is the traditional procession route for kings and queens and has been for the past 500 years. However, interestingly, the Royal Mile is not actually a mile long. Despite it's name suggesting this, it sits at only 107 yards long.
The capital of Scotlandhas not always been Edinburgh. Prior to 1437, a town called Scone was the country's capital. After the assassination of King James I of Scotland, it was thought that the country's capital should have more defensive properties for the ruler.
Every country in the world has their own national animal and Scotland's is the amazing unicorn! In Celtic mythology, unicorns are a sign of power as well as purity and innocence.
The worlds only knighted penguin, Sir Nils Olav resides at Edinburgh Zoo. His role includes inspecting the Norwegian Guard when they visit Edinburgh. The King penguin has also since been promoted to Brigadier!
The famous Edinburgh Castle actually stands upon an extinct volcano. It is thought that the volcano is from around 350 million years ago. Despite being extinct, its volcanic plug still holds strong, hence why, in 1993, Edinburgh Castle was built upon it.
Edinburgh is the greenest city across the whole of the UK. It has an amazing 112 parks and trees more per person in the population than any other city.
Edinburgh's National Monument on Calton Hill is better known as 'Edinburgh's Folly' because, due to lack of funding, the building was never completed. It was modelled on the Parthenon in Greece, but never reached its full potential. Even though it is an unfinished piece of architecture, the building still has its own charm.