DISCOVER GLASGOW

A person from Glasgow is known as a Glaswegian, which is also the name of the local dialect.

Glasgow grew from the medieval Bishopric of Glasgow and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow, which contributed to the Scottish Enlightenment. From the 18th century the city became one of Europe's main hubs of transatlantic trade with the Americas.

With the Industrial Revolution, the city and surrounding region grew to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of engineering and shipbuilding, constructing many revolutionary and famous vessels.

Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era. Today it is one of Europe's top twenty financial centres and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew to a population of over one million, and was the fourth-largest city in Europe, after London, Paris and Berlin.

Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland. Its second most important river is the Kelvin whose name was used for creating the title of Baron Kelvin and thereby ended up as the scientific unit of temperature.

Weather in Glasgow is not typical of the weather in the rest of the UK for several reasons. Glasgow benefits from a mild south western position; the Gulf Stream currents flow up the Clyde estuary from the Atlantic warming the area. The city is also sheltered by the surrounding Clyde Valley hills keeping the city fairly humid throughout the year. The temperature is often milder than the rest of the country.


CULTURE OF GLASGOW

Glasgow has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities, from curling to opera, ballet and from football to art appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport, religion, and modern art. Many of the city's cultural sites were celebrated in 1990 when Glasgow was designated European City of Culture.

The city's principal library, the Mitchell Library, has grown into one of the largest public reference libraries in Europe, currently housing some 1.3 million books, a extensive collection of newspapers and thousands of photographs and maps.

Most of Scotland's national arts organisations are based in Glasgow, including Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet, The National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Youth Theatre.

Glasgow has its own "Poet Laureate", a post created in 1999 for Edwin Morgan and as of 2007 occupied by Liz Lochhead.


RECREATION IN GLASGOW

Glasgow is home to a variety of theatres including The King's Theatre, Theatre Royal and the Citizens' Theatre and is home to many municipal museums and art galleries, the most famous being the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) and the Burrell Collection. Most of the museums in Glasgow are publicly owned and free to enter.

The city has hosted many exhibitions over the years, including being the UK City of Architecture 1999, European Capital of Culture 1990, National City of Sport 1995–1999 and European Capital of Sport 2003.

In addition, unlike the older and larger Edinburgh Festival (where all Edinburgh's main festivals occur in the last three weeks of August), Glasgow's festivals fill the calendar. Festivals include the Glasgow Comedy Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival, Celtic Connections, Glasgow Film Festival, West End Festival, Merchant City Festival, Glasgay, and the World Pipe Band Championships.

Glasgow has many live music pubs, clubs and venues. Some of the city's main venues include the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the SECC, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (where Oasis were spotted and signed by Glaswegian record mogul Alan McGee), the Queen Margaret Union and the Barrowland, a ballroom converted into a live music venue. More recent mid-sized venues include ABC and the Carling Academy, which play host to a similar range of acts.


EDUCATION IN GLASGOW

Glasgow is also a major education centre with four universities within 10 miles (16 km) of the city centre:

• University of Glasgow
• University of Strathclyde
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• University of the West of Scotland

GLASGOW HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION

GLASGOW TOURS & TRAVEL