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Visiting the capital of Scotland soon and want to discover amazing fun facts about Edinburgh? We’ve got you covered! This beautiful city is full of history and stories which makes it a very interesting place to discover!
Scotland is a land of legends and traditions. There are many interesting facts about Edinburgh and Scotland.
So, are you ready? Let’s discover the most interesting fun facts about Edinburgh, Scotland.
Best fun facts about Edinburgh
1 – The national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn (and you can see it on Parliament Square in Edinburgh)
When we think of a national animal, we generally expect a real animal.
Well, Scotland never quite saw it this way! At the end of the day, who said that it had to be real? Certainly not the Scottish! Which is why they chose the unicorn to be Scotland national animal over 500 years ago.
Back then the unicorn wasn’t exactly as we know it now. No jumping on rainbows or farting glitter for the Scottish unicorn but still, how cool is that?
This fact will give you a good idea of what Scotland is all about. You can find the unicorn on many landmarks in Edinburgh, including on the Royal Mile!
2 – Edinburgh is formed of two towns: the old and the new town
This one might not be “fun” but it’s an important historical fact about Edinburgh.
Edinburgh used to only be what’s now known as the old town. It was founded in 7AD and the inhabitants would stay inside the walls of the town.
As a matter of fact, there even was a toll to get in the town. This means that a lot of people never went out. They were born, lived and died within the city walls.
Because of this, it became a very dirty city and health problems started to create a lot of sanitary problems.
In 1706, the Treaty of the Union is signed. The kingdoms of Scotland and England are united to form The United-Kingdom.
This changed a lot of things for Scotland as the merchants started having access to the rest of the British empire.
Some people became extremely wealthy and wanted to leave Edinburgh for London so they would get a better quality of life and enjoy their newly acquired money.
In order to keep these wealthy people in Edinburgh, they came up with the idea of creating a new city on the other side of the North Loch (now Princes Street Gardens).
This is what we now know as the New Town.
The two towns form the city of Edinburgh.
3 – Edinburgh New Town design is based on the Union Jack flag
When the idea of creating a new town for the wealthy appeared, The Town Council of Edinburgh, under the leadership of Provost George Drummond, launched a national contest.
Architects all around the country were called to submit their design ideas for the new town.
The winning design was based on the Union Flag Jack.
This concept was highly symbolic as it was a tribute to the newly formed United Kingdom and the first example of geometrical city design.
The design was eventually a bit modified. The triangles were too awkward to build and very expensive so they were replaced by squares and rectangles.
This is why Edinburgh New Town feels a bit like an American city (in terms of design, not atmosphere).
The creator of this design was actually not an architect but a builder. He submitted his application as an architect by fear of not being taken seriously.
Even though his status shouldn’t have allowed him to compete, his sense of rationality enabled him to win!
4 – Edinburgh’s old and new town are a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage site was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 1995. Moreover, there are nearly 4,500 listed buildings in Edinburgh!
This is way more than any other UK city, except for London.
5 – Edinburgh’s has the biggest electric blanket in the world (35 km long)
This one is definitely one of the best Edinburgh fun facts!
In 1955, a 35 km long electric blanket was installed beneath the road surface at the mound.
This road goes uphill and gets frozen during winter. It was pretty much impossible for vehicles to drive up!
In order to keep a good and functioning transportation network and infrastructure, they installed an electric blanket beneath the road. This way, the road never freezes!
6 – The Scottish crown jewels were lost for 100 years
The Scottish honours (they are the jewels of the crown of Scotland) that were used for the coronation of Queen Mary, were hidden in 1707 for protection.
The issue was, they forgot where they hid them.
These jewels were lost for over 100 years until Walter Scot, in 1818, discovered them in Edinburgh Castle.
7 – Edinburgh had one of the first concentration camps in the world
Located in the Greyfriars Kirkyard, the Covenanters Prison was what is now recognised as one of the first concentration camps in the world.
This makes the Greyfriars Kirkyard one of the most haunted places in the world.
8 – Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in the world
As previously said, Edinburgh didn’t use to be the nicest city in the world. A lot of murders took place in Edinburgh and are today the subject of many ghosts stories.
The most famous of them is the Bloody MacKenzie.
If that’s something you are interested in, make sure to go on a ghost tour in Edinburgh.
They run at night (even spookier) and the local guide will tell you everything about the craziest and scariest ghost stories of Edinburgh. Click here to see prices and availability.
9 – Edinburgh is the birthplace of Harry Potter
Although JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, is English, she wrote most of the books in Edinburgh.
She lived in Porto for a while with her abusive now ex-husband and moved to Edinburgh with her daughter, Jessica, after leaving him.
Her sister was living in Edinburgh at the time which was making it the best place to come and simply heal.
Even though she got the idea for Harry Potter on a train from Manchester to London, it’s in Edinburgh that the story really came to life.
She was extremely influenced by the things she saw in Edinburgh. The streets, the city set up, schools, graveyards, the folklore…
She wrote the first Harry Potter books in cafes such as The Elephant House and finished the last book, over 10 years later, in Balmoral hotel, just above Waverley Station.
If you are a Potterhead, make sure to visit all the Harry Potter sites in Edinburgh during your stay.
10 – The construction of the new parliament building went 10 times over budget
The initial estimates for the cost of the construction of the new Scottish parliament building were between ÂŁ10 and ÂŁ40 millions. They ended up spending ÂŁ414 million.
11 – Princes street gardens used to be the dirtiest sewers in Europe.
Back in the days, there was a “lake” instead of Princes Street Gardens. It was named the North Loch and was the dirtiest sewer in Europe.
Located downhill from the old town, everything coming from the city would go straight there.
Because the old town of Edinburgh is on top of the hill, people would throw everything out in the street and wait for the rain and gravity to take it away down to the North Loch. This, obviously, included loo wastes.
This added to the fact that at this time, the witch hunt was going at a spanking pace. A lot of bodies were thrown into the loch.
This created a lot of hygiene issues and diseases would spread very quickly. The smell by the North Loch was so bad it would have some hallucinogenic properties!
12 – Edinburgh castle is still a running military building
Want to discover some fun facts about Edinburgh castle? This one is for you!
Due to its ideal location on the height of the city, Edinburgh Castle has always been a military base for the Scottish and later on, the British army.
It is still the case today which is why there is the Union Jack flying on top of the castle and not the Scottish flag.
13 – The real-life version of Diagon Alley is in Edinburgh: Victoria Street
Several streets in Edinburgh, London and Porto claim being the inspiration for Diagon Alley however Victoria Street is the closest in my opinion. It’s full of tiny, quirky and colourful shops. There even is a joke shop at the bottom!
Very similar! If you are a fan of Harry Potter, you have to check it out!
14 – Arthur’s Seat is a dormant volcano
Yes! There are volcanoes in Scotland and Arthur’s seat is one of them. It is 350 million years old and extinct. No need to worry, it won’t erupt anymore!
15 – The new town is over 200 years old
When we hear the name New Town we expect something more recent than it actually is.
However, Edinburgh New Town was built in the 18th century, shortly after the unification of the kingdoms of England and Scotland.
16 – Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland but not the most populous city in Scotland
In 1437, Edinburgh replace Scot as the capital of Scotland. It’s been the capital ever since however it is not the biggest city in Scotland. Glasgow is way bigger and counts almost 200,000 people more!
17 – Bell, who invented the telephone, was from Edinburgh
Alexander Graham Bell is known for inventing and patenting the first telephone was born in Edinburgh. You can see the plaque on the house he was born in Edinburgh New Town.
18 – Maxwell was from Edinburgh
James Clerk Maxwell was a brilliant scientist that made major contributions to physics and mathematics.
He conceptualised the world as we know it. He was also one of the two people Albert Einstein had a photograph of in his office, the second person being Isaac Newton.
He also invented the first durable coloured photo. He was born in Edinburgh.
19 – Edinburgh voted against Brexit
In 2016, British people were asked to vote on a referendum now known as the Brexit referendum to state if they wanted to stay or leave the European Union.
The final result across the whole United Kingdom was very tight (48% wanted to stay, 52% wanted to leave). In Scotland, that wasn’t the case. They were 62% voting to stay. In Edinburgh, 74.4% wanted to stay.
Today, this raises again the matter of Scottish independence. In 2015, Scotland was granted the right to a referendum stating their wish to be independent from the UK or not.
They voted to stay within the United-Kingdom.
At the time, there were 3 main reasons for that:
- The National Scottish party was not clear on the currency matter
- Public expenditure
- Scotland wanted to stay in the EU and independency meant going on a waiting list to join again. Westminster parliament back then made very clear that the only way Scotland could stay in the EU was to conserve their current membership with the UK.
Well, so much for that!
20 – Over 300 “witches” died in Edinburgh
From the 16th to the 18th century, Scotland got completely obsessed with witches.
One of the worst witch hunt in history happened in Scotland. They were hunted down and over 300 people died. Mainly women but also men.
Here were some of the criteria that meant you were a witch: having red hair, having a birthmark, being left-handed… Needless to say, a lot of people would correspond to this.
People suspected to be a witch would then be tightened up in the shape of a cross (left hand with the right foot, left foot with right hand) and thrown into the North Loch.
If they would sink that meant they were innocent.
However, unfortunately, nobody would go to rescue them so they would drown. If they would float, even for a few seconds, they were considered as a witch and picked up to be burned in public place.
You can still see the exact place where all these “witches” died: Castlehill.
21 – The World’s largest arts festival is held in Edinburgh. It’s called the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
While we all know that the Edinburgh Fringe is a huge festival, you may not have realised quite how big it was!
It is indeed, the largest arts festival in the world. It holds a Guinness World Record, especially for the year 2009 when 18,901 artists performed 34,265 performances in 2265 shows.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival takes place every year in August and it lasts 3 weeks. It includes all sorts of shows including comedy and concerts.
It’s a great place to see famous artists but especially to discover up and coming artists.
22 – The Harry Potter movies weren’t filmed in Edinburgh
A common misconception about Edinburgh is that the Harry Potter movies were filmed here.
While it is considered to be the birthplace of the Harry Potter books, it’s not where it was filmed. The movies were mainly filmed in the Harry Potter studios in Watford (London) and in some other parts of Scotland and England.
If that’s something you are interested in, you can discover the actual filming locations of Harry Potter in Scotland with a guided tour or by going on a road trip to Glenfinnan.
23 – The oldest English-language general encyclopaedia was first published in Edinburgh
This is not the most well-known of Edinburgh facts but yet such an interesting one!
The Encyclopædia Britannica is the oldest general encyclopædia in English and it was first published in 1768 in Edinburgh.
How to learn more interesting facts about Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a popular tourist destination. Whether you are a local or an international visitor, there is plenty more to learn so if you are interested in discovering more facts about Edinburgh Scotland, here is how you can do so.
The best way to do so is to join one of the walking tours in Edinburgh.
I am obsessed with walking tours! I did all of them and they are just amazing! Here are the best ones!
Harry Potter walking tour in Edinburgh
This one is for the Potterheads out there. It lasts a couple of hours and starts at the Royal Mile.
The local guide will take you to all the main sites and tell you the story of J.K. Rowling. It’s very interesting and you will even discover some hidden gems.
Old Town History tour
If you are into culture and want to discover more history facts about Edinburgh, going on a walking tour of the Old town will be the best option.
This tour is the best one for first-timers and people who want to discover a bit of everything. The guide touches upon many aspects of the history of Edinburgh.
This also includes a few bits about Harry Potter and the witches.
Edinburgh Ghost tour
Going on a ghost tour in Edinburgh is a must-do! As previously mentioned, it’s one of the most haunted cities in the world. Needless to say that there is a lot to learn about ghosts, witches and murderers!
The tour runs in the evening. I must say that the dark does put you in the mood! You will walk around the Old Town and make your way to the Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Edinburgh New Town Tour
If you are interested in the modern history of Edinburgh and Scotland, opting for a tour of the Old Town will be a better option.
You will be walking around with an architect who will tell you everything about the Georgian architecture and history of this part of the city.
You will even see the residence of the First minister of Scotland.
We hope you enjoyed these fun facts about Edinburgh!
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