Introduction
Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh Castle) is located on top of the extinct volcanic granite and can be seen from all corners of the city center. Edinburgh Castle became a royal fortress in the 6th century. Queen Margaret died here in 1093. Since then, Edinburgh Castle has become an important royal residence and national administrative center. By the beginning of the 16th century, the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Palace of Holyroodhouse) was completed, replacing Edinburgh Castle as the main residence of the royal family, but Edinburgh Castle is still an important symbol of Scotland.
The castle has been a Scottish royal castle from the 12th century to the 16th century, and has witnessed many wars in Scotland. It has been a military base since the 17th century and currently belongs to HistoricScotland. There are still troops stationed on the castle. Most of the castle’s buildings were destroyed during the long-term siege (LangSiege) in the 16th century, but a few buildings survived the siege, the most famous of which is the St. Margaret’s Chapel built in the early 12th century.
The castle is now open to the public, and some of its buildings are also allowed to visit. It is one of Scotland's most popular tourist attractions, welcoming more than 1.2 million tourists from all over the world every year. There is a military museum in the castle, which displays various objects and records the military history of Scotland, Britain and Europe.
Edinburgh Castle is an important symbol of Edinburgh. There is an image of Edinburgh Castle on the coat of arms of the city of Edinburgh. The annual Edinburgh Military Exercise Show is also held in front of Edinburgh Castle.
Opening hours [April 1st-September 30th] 9:30-18:00 [October 1st-March 31st] 9:30-17:00
< h2>HistoryThe charm of Edinburgh lies in its old age. Edinburgh Castle became the fortress of the Scottish royal family in the 6th century. It was more than 200 years earlier than Leeds Castle in England, more than 400 years earlier than Windsor Castle, and more than 600 years earlier than Heidelberg Castle in Germany. In the sense of ancient warfare, Edinburgh is undoubtedly the strongest, most dangerous and most difficult fortress to conquer. Edinburgh Castle is built on top of an extinct volcanic rock 135 meters above sea level. It has one slope and three cliffs. As long as you guard the castle gate located on the slope, it will be solid. Even if the enemy has thousands of troops, it will be helpless. This is also unmatched by other ancient castles.
Edinburgh Castle is most proud of the Scots, is the political and cultural position of Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh was once the political and cultural center of Scotland, which is a status that no ancient castle has ever had. It is precisely because of this that it has experienced many pains and vicissitudes, political and military struggles, and it has always been in the central role. In the long history of fighting between Scotland and England, the strong and unyielding spirit displayed by the people of Edinburgh reflects the spiritual style of the entire Scotsman. But this kind of historical character and traditional spirit, it seems that we have no way to experience it. The various weapons and military uniforms since the Middle Ages, the 5-foot-long rare giant sword, can only be displayed as an exhibit in the castle. The famous cannon made in Belgium in the 15th century has gone through more than 200 battles. Can only be placed in the cellar of Edinburgh Castle.
The historical features of the Scots are only reflected in the ancient cannons, city walls, war memorials and museums on the castle. The veritable "knifes and guns in the warehouse, horses to Nanshan". In the era of pursuing peace and development, what we can touch and feel is the creation and construction of a civilization. This kind of creation and construction has a long history and a modern one, and the results make the people of Edinburgh proud. The University of Edinburgh, which was built more than 420 years ago and one of the oldest universities in the world, made them proud and their university education was groundbreaking; three or four hundred years ago, they began to build more than ten-story high-rise buildings, which made them dare to tease the United States. People: New York at that time was just a small village and trading post! We no longer see the destruction caused by war, but we can see the beauty brought about by construction everywhere. The prosperity and modernity of Princes Street, the peace and charm of Princes Park, give the people of the city a comfortable and civilized enjoyment. Even the private hotel where we stayed, each has a backyard garden of nearly 100 square meters, and a variety of flowers, trees, and green grass are planted within the walls.
Architectural Art
The entire castle stands on the highest point of Edinburgh-the 135-meter-high Castle Hill. Standing on the castle, you can look down at the whole city, just like a natural fortress. The formation of this dangerous terrain is due to the eastward movement of the glacier, which scoured the surrounding hard rocks to form three steep cliffs and an east-facing slope. This slope later became the Royal Mile. In the 11th century AD, this easy-to-defend and hard-to-attack place became the palace of King Cranmore.
Edinburgh Castle used to be a fortress, a royal palace, a military fortress and a national prison. Therefore, defense is extremely important. The muzzle of the ancient artillery is the same as before, facing the Fusiwan River, deducing the tense atmosphere of ancient defenses.
Edinburgh Castle is divided into the lower area, the middle area, and the upper area along the slope. Among them, St. Margaret's Chapel (St. Margaret's Chapel) is said to be the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. Every week, an Edinburgh woman named Margaret takes turns here to offer flowers and clean up. The beautiful stained glass windows in the chapel depict the holy queen of Markham III. Legend has it that the chapel was built and dedicated to her by her son David I in the early 12th century.
Another proud collection of Edinburgh Castle is the weapons and uniforms of various eras since the Middle Ages, especially the 5-foot-long giant sword displayed in the weapons room, which is a rare treasure. In addition, there are a variety of gorgeous and exquisite military uniforms in the military uniforms showroom, which are well-made and have both practicality and beauty.
In the center of the castle is the Palace Square. The 16th-century palace buildings still stand around the square. The palace on the east side of the square was where the king lived at that time. There is a house called "Mary's House of Guise", which is a historical site related to Queen Mary. And including the luxuriously decorated South Conference Hall, in addition to the usual display to visitors, many things are still available today. Today, people often gather here to hold various ceremonial gatherings. In order to match these ancient buildings, the sentry at the gate of the castle still retains the tradition of wearing traditional Scottish costumes. The checkered skirt that best represents the Scottish style, coupled with the dagger, and the black toque on the head, make them more majestic and mighty.
The square at the entrance of the castle is called "Esplanade". It is the place where people parade in the 18th century. Every summer during the Edinburgh Art Festival, a grand military ceremony is held here, which is the famous "MilitaryTattoo" , Attracting tourists from all over the world. In the northeast corner of the square, there is a small iron well named Witches’ Well, where women who were believed to be involved in witchcraft were executed more than a century ago. There are two sculptures of guards at the gate of the castle, namely William Wallace and Robert Bruce, both of whom were the greatest heroes of Scotland during the Victorian era.
Under the castle is Princes Street Gardens (Princes Street Gardens), which is a picturesque garden with a memorial tower of the famous Scottish writer Siming. On a green area in the garden, there is the world-renowned Scottish flower clock. The flower clock pattern is composed of 24,000 flowers. Every minute, an azalea jumps out. It is one of the largest and most peculiar flower clocks in the world.
From the old castle is a street, from east to north, about a mile long, called "Royal One Mile", is a famous street in Edinburgh. There are many royal buildings on both sides of the street, which are magnificent. Among them, the top of the Jells Church was built in 1495. Its shape is like a Scottish crown. The four large pillars of the church were built in the 12th century. The stained glass and exquisite wood carvings are also amazing. At the end of the Royal One is the Palace of the Holy Cross. It was originally a hotel of the temple and later built into the palace of the king. Now every summer, the king comes here to stay for a week.
The marching bands held here every August during the Art Festival show the majestic and majestic temperament of Edinburgh Castle, so visitors will not miss this place. In the 6th century, Edinburgh Castle became the fortress of the royal family, and it is still a must for tourists. The entire castle stands on the highest point of Edinburgh-the 135-meter-high Castle Hill. Standing on the castle, you can overlook the whole city. It is a natural fortress. So easy to defend and hard to attack, this slope later became the Royal Mile.
This castle has experienced too many baptisms of war and it appears to be vicissitudes of life, so it has an irreplaceable position in politics and culture. In terms of terrain, it has one slope and three cliffs. As long as you guard the gate of the castle located on the slope, the city will be solid. It is a famous military fortress, unlike other leisurely castles. In history, it was used as a fortress, royal palace, military fortress and national prison, which shows its importance in defense at that time. At present, on the walls of the old castle, you can still see a row of black ancient cannons neatly placed, and the muzzle is uniformly facing the Forth Bay River as before, revealing the tense atmosphere of ancient defenses. Various weapons and military uniforms over the centuries, the 5-foot-long rare giant sword, are only displayed as exhibits in today's peaceful era.
Queen Margaret died here in 1093. Since then, Edinburgh Castle has become an important royal residence and national administrative center. It has been one of the most important royal castles in the United Kingdom until the Middle Ages. Until the beginning of the 16th century, the completion of the Holy Cross Palace replaced Edinburgh Castle and became the main residence of the royal family.
Cultural Features
Go along the Royal Mile and enter Edinburgh Castle. After entering the main entrance, buy a ticket at the ticket office. The ticket fee is currently £19.5, and you can also spend £3 to receive the guided tour The device can be operated and listened to the explanation of each key point in the castle, which can definitely allow visitors to understand everything about the castle, but it will take a long time. Edinburgh Castle spirals up the slope and is divided into LowerWard, MiddleWard, UpperWard and other areas. There are dozens of visiting points. The more important ones include St. Margaret's Chapel, which is said to be the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. , And the military prison in the castle once imprisoned Napoleon’s army, and there are still finger marks on the wall by the French army.
Edinburgh Castle
The famous MonsMeg gun in the castle was built in Belgium in 1449. After more than 200 battles, it returned to Edinburgh in 1829 and is now housed in the castle cellar. In (CastleVaults), there are many Scottish treasures in the palace (Palace) in the castle, such as the Scottish crown designed in 1540, and other cultural relics such as royal bars and swords are placed in the crown room. Edinburgh Castle is also home to the Scottish National War Museum and the Scottish United Army Museum. A salute will be fired every day at one o'clock at noon.
Edinburgh is not built on top of an extinct volcanic rock 135 meters above sea level. It has one slope and three cliffs. Just guard the castle gate located on the slope. It is as solid as a golden soup, even if the enemy has thousands of troops, there is nothing to do with it. This is also unmatched by other ancient castles.
What makes Scots most proud of is its political and cultural position. Edinburgh was once the political and cultural center of the Kingdom of Scotland. This is a status that no ancient castle in the UK has ever had. Because of this, it has experienced a lot of pain and vicissitudes.
Castle Quest
Edinburgh Castle has a history of about 900 years and is one of the most famous haunted places in Scottish history. Edinburgh Castle was built at the beginning of the 12th century. It was originally a military fortress. In addition to being heavily attacked many times, it was also a place of execution and was once occupied by the British. With the passage of time, this place has gradually become a tourist attraction, and the haunted incidents that often occur in the dungeon are the most talked about by tourists. The dungeon of Edinburgh Castle once held the famous Duke Alexander Stewart (AlexanderStewart) and Janet Douglas (Janet Douglas), the former managed to escape after killing the jailers and burning their bodies, the latter was accused of using witchcraft and was finally burned to death On the stake. In addition, an unknown bagpiper also wandered in the underground passage of the castle for a while, but never appeared again.
Edinburgh Castle (9 photos)
In 2001, Edinburgh became the object of the largest study of supernatural phenomena in history. At that time, a team of 9 researchers and more than 200 public representatives explored the long forgotten castle interiors and secret passages, looking for signs of the so-called haunted incident; the public representatives were not informed of the rumors. Which places are haunted. In places where ghosts are rumored to be infested, about 51% of the participants said they have seen supernatural phenomena, while in places where there are no ghosts, only 35% of people saw such phenomena. Every day spent in Edinburgh Castle, people will see illusory shadows, experience a sudden drop in temperature and feel that clothes seem to be involved in something. If these supernatural phenomena are not enough to scare people, Edinburgh can also come up with another magic weapon-Mary King Alley. This alley is located underground in Edinburgh, where the Black Death patients were quarantined and eventually died.Practical information
Tickets
Adults (16-59 years old) £16, seniors over 60 years old £12.8, children 5-15 years old £9.6, children under 5 are free . Ticket prices may change when there are special events.
Opening Hours
Summer (April 1st-September 30th) 9:30-18:00; Winter (October 1st-March 31st) 9: 30-17:00. Closed on December 25th and December 26th
Traffic information
External traffic
Train
Take Get off at Waverley Station (Edinburgh Station), and you can see Edinburgh Castle in the southwest from the exit. Walk along Princes Street, go west through Waverley Bridge to The Mound, and then walk south along MoundPlace and Ramsay Lane to the front of the castle. The Esplanade (Esplanade), about 13 minutes on foot.
Take the train to Haymarket station and get off, then walk east for about 25 minutes.