Fascinating Places To Visit In Glasgow
Glasgow has long struggled to compete with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, in the tourism trade however in the previous couple of years the city of Glasgow has been revived by large inward funding much of it directed towards the expansion of tourism.
In 1988 much attention was created by the Glasgow Garden Festival furthermore it was, in 1990, awarded the European City Of Culture. Ever since then the financial revival has helped create certainly one of the country’s most multi-ethnic cities with an enormous number of top notch tourist attractions. While these fantastic attractions are certainly well worth a visit there are numerous other older points of interest which are sometimes missed and considered one of these is the wonderful Glasgow Necropolis.
The Glasgow Necropolis
Like Pre Lachaise Cemetery, in Paris, Glasgow Necropolis is far more than a simple cemetery. This out of the ordinary Victorian graveyard features a number of the best sculptures within the city of Glasgow. Located east of the city’s St. Mungo’s Cathedral the graveyard is pretty easy to find particularly as it is situated on one of the few hills within the city.
In the course of the 19th century Glasgow was one of the most important ports on this planet and like Liverpool in neighbouring England vast quantities of cash were pumped into into the creation of vast civic buildings by those that had gained huge wealth. In Glasgow a small number businessmen, often called the “Tobacco Lords” held almost all of the wealth of the city.
In 1831 a contest was held to determine the best design for the Necropolis which was to be like Pre Lachaise and 16 designs were submitted for consideration. The Tobacco Lords, ever keen to show their huge wealth, appeared to compete with their memorials with more and more ornate sculptures and amazing architecture. Lots of the sculptures depict something referring to the lifetime of the person buried beneath. The most striking monument is on the very top of the hill, the massive monument to John Knox. Searching around Glasgow Necropolis you will discover superb artistic endeavors for example a marble figure of a seated Charles Tennant and artistic creations in the Art-nouveau model together with a Celtic cross designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Other Glasgow Sights
Lots of the hidden sights of Glasgow have associations with the well-known artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The city is Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s birthplace and is most renowned for his furniture and distinctive buildings, lots of them found within the city. Though many of his designs had been for personal houses there were a few public buildings designed by him including his most masterpiece the Glasgow School of Art.
Though many art critics would be in agreement that the Willow Tea Rooms include the most well-known of his artworks a visit to just the Willow Tea Rooms and the Glasgow School of Art is nowhere near enough to gain a comprehensive understanding of the incredible extent of his creative talent.
Alternative Mackintosh associated places worth visiting include the most important “House for an Art Lover” in Glasgow’s south side, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, The Lighthouse, Martyrs’ Public School, Scotland Street School Museum, The Mackintosh Church at Queens Cross and Hill House in Helensburgh.
If you are planning a vacation in Scotland and you are searching for guest houses and Glasgow hotels then please consider taking a look at our listings of hotels in Glasgow
