Discover Edinburgh History
From Sir Walter Scott, through Scottish National Gallery artists, until stunning views of Edinburgh Castle ancient walls...
The New Register House
Princes Street is a very historical spot. The street lies on the line of a medieval country lane known as the Lang Dykes. Princes Street was built in the late 18th century during the reign of King George the Third. Princes Street was part of the new section of Edinburgh and was named for King George’s sons after its original name was rejected.
Princes Street starts off at Waterloo Place, which is situated at the East End and goes all the way to Shandwick Place, which is found at the West End and it is about ¾ of a mile length. It is also best known for its exciting attractions and its many interesting and unusual shops that run along its entire length.
Scott Monument
Another famous landmark that you will find on Princes Street is the two hundred feet tall neo-gothic monument dedicated to the well-known writer, Sir Walter Scott.
Often you will find a Scottish piper, dressed in his traditional Scottish dress, and his dog near the blackened statue of Sir Walter Scott playing away on his bagpipes. If you have the strength and the energy you can climb up the 287 steps to the top, you will be rewarded with a stunning view of the Edinburgh skyline.
Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Playfair, and first opened to the public in 1859.
The gallery houses Scotland's national collection of fine art, spanning Scottish and international art from the beginning of the Renaissance up to the start of the 20th century.
Princes Street Gardens
During the construction of the New Town, the polluted waters of the Nor Loch were drained, and the area was converted into private gardens called Princes Street Gardens. This was taken over by the Edinburgh Council in the late-nineteenth century, by which time most of the street was commercial and there was no great need for private residential gardens.
The width of Princes Street was greatly increased soon after, onto what was the northern edge of the gardens. Due to the much lower position of the gardens this led to the creation of the steep embankment on the north side, still visible today. The gardens are one of the many green spaces in the heart of Edinburgh.
Along the path within Princes Street Gardes you can come accross an unusual monument of Voytek the bear. Voytek (1942–1963) was a Syrian brown bear bought, as a young cub, at a railway station in Hamadan, Iran, by Polish II Corps soldiers who had been evacuated from the Soviet Union. In order to provide for his rations and transportation, he was eventually enlisted officially as a soldier with the rank of private, and was subsequently promoted to corporal.
He accompanied the bulk of the II Corps to Italy, serving with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, in Italy in 1944, Voytek helped move crates of ammunition and became a celebrity with visiting Allied generals and statesmen. After the war, mustered out of the Polish Army, he was billeted and lived out the rest of his life at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.