Why Edinburgh is called Athens of the North?

John KarkalatosMarch 20, 2024

In the old town of Edinburgh there are 6 sightseeings based on ancient Greek architecture, built from the period of the revival of ancient Greek architecture, a trend that started after the independence of the Greek state and influenced buildings all over the world. The personality behind these Edinburgh buildings is the architect William Henry Playfair.

1. National Monument of Scotland

It is located on Calton Hill at the end of Princess Street and it looks as if the Scots wanted to build their own Columns (Temple) of Olympian Zeus from downtown Athens, because that's exactly what it looks like. It is dedicated to the Scottish soldiers and sailors who fell during the Napoleonic wars. According to the inscription it is a "Memorial of the past and incentive to the future heroism of the men of Scotland".

The design is of course based on the Parthenon. The construction began in 1826 and remained half-finished in 1829 due to lack of funding. The leading figure behind the erection of this monument was Lord Elgin who had removed the sculptures from the Parthenon between 1801 and 1812.

2. Dugald Stewart Monument

A monument to the memory of the Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart (1753 – 1828). It is also located on Calton Hill. It was completed in September 1831 and is based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Plaka, Athens. The design of the Choragic Monument, along with many others, reached Britain in 1762 through the illustrated work "The Antiquities of Athens" by James Stuart and Nicholas Revett.

3. City Observatory

It was the Edinburgh observatory. It was built between 1818 and 1822 and was used for this purpose until 1896 when it ceased to function due to light pollution from the expansion of the city. Very close is the Playfair monument with doric style columns.

4. Old Royal High School

An imposing neoclassical doric style building on the south side of Calton Hill. It is based on the Temple of Hephaestus in the Ancient Agora of Athens. It used to house the Royal High School of Edinburgh and was built between 1826 and 1829.

5. Royal Scottish Academy

This building together with the adjacent Scottish National Gallery gave Edinburgh its reputation as the Athens of the North. It was built between 1822 - 1826 and is located at the junction of Princess Street and The Mound. It is built in the doric temple style and functions as an art museum. It is a large and impressive building with the statue of Queen Victoria of England above the frieze in Princess Street and long rows of side colonnades with sphinxes at the corners.

6. Scottish National Gallery

It is located behind the Royal Academy and is built like a temple in the Ionic style, although it is a simple building and not particularly impressive like the Royal Academy. It opened its doors in 1859 and functions as an art gallery.