Edinburgh and Lothians Holiday Accommodation

Edinburgh (pronounced ED-in-burra, Dùn Èideann in Scottish Gaelic , is a major and historic city on the east coast of Scotland on the south shore of the Firth of Forth , and in the unitary local authority of City of Edinburgh . It has been the capital of Scotland since 1492 and is the site of the Scottish Parliament , which was re-established in 1999 . It was one of the major centres of the enlightenment led by the University of Edinburgh . The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 . In the census of 2001 Edinburgh had a total resident population of 448,624.

Edinburgh is well known for the annual Edinburgh Festival , the largest performing arts festival in the world, and for the Hogmanay street party.

The Old Town has preserved its medieval plan and many Reformation -era buildings. One end is closed by the castle and the main street (the Royal Mile ) leads away from it; minor streets (called closes or wynds ) bud off the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets, or surround major public buildings such as St Giles Cathedral . This layout, typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities, is made especially picturesque in Edinburgh, where the castle perches on top of a small mountain and the main street runs down the crest of a ridge from it.

The old city is also home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. During the 1700s the Old Town had a population of about 80,000 residents. However, in modern times it has declined dramatically to just 4,000 residents. The population was for a long time reluctant to build outside the defensive wall, so, as the need for housing grew, the buildings became higher and higher. However, many of these buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1824 . They were then rebuilt on the original foundations. This led to changes in the ground level and the creation of many passages and vaults under the Old Town.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is an arts festival associated with the Edinburgh Festival . It takes place in the city of Edinburgh over five weeks during August , and is the largest arts festival in the world.

The Fringe is focussed almost exclusively on the performing arts, particularly theatre and comedy. Fringe material can be anything from Shakespeare to the truly experimental. Some Fringe venues are established professional theatres and regularly sell hundreds of tickets to a performance; others are converted church halls or even living rooms, and attract single-digit audiences.