Class 8: Edinburgh: A Tale of Two Cities. Edinburgh Castle has been described as the most often besieged fortress in history. But its position atop a crag with three sheer sides made it virtually impregnable. Its presence spurred the growth of the medieval city on the rocky spine leading up to it, which became Scotland’s national capital. Because the population was large and the site confined, the buildings were tall and crammed together, making for conditions that were as unsanitary as they were picturesque. The city was a powder keg.

In 1756, the council approved designs for a New Town, laid out on neoclassical principles on the lower crest across the ravine, and eventually stepping down in elegant terraces toward the Firth of Forth below. Its rational layout became the physical counterpart to the ideas and discoveries of the thinkers, scientists, and artists of the Scottish Enlightenment who lived and met there.

Postwar Edinburgh has dedicated itself to preserving its history of Scottish nationalism and Enlightenment philosophy. But Edinburgh is also a center of creativity in its own right and, though the multiplicity of its annual Festivals, midwife to creative artists from many countries and in many media. rb.

 
The script, videos, and images will be posted immediately after class.