At the start of the 19th century, the Glasgow was one of the richest cities in Europe. During the Industrial Revolution in Glasgow the manufacturing of cotton, glass, paper, soap and textiles was quite the thriving industry. The city was full of diversity during the reign of Queen Victoria. Glasgow became a fine city with plenty of museums, libraries, art galleries and parks – a fact which saw the city host the prestigious European Capital of Culture in 1990. Many of these early structures are still standing today in Scotland’s largest city.
Explore the architecture
Take for instance, the Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis. The Cathedral was built sometime during the 13th and 15th century on the site where the first bishop, St. Kentigern was thought to have been buried. Behind the Glasgow Cathedral is the Glasgow Necropolis. This is the final resting place for many a late Victorian merchants who had made names for themselves by trying to “out do” one another in life and in death. The Necropolis is Glasgow’s very own “City of the Dead”. You won’t want to miss this beautiful architecture on your tour of Glasgow!
Browse the art galleries and museums
One of the most visited attractions in Glasgow is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The magnificent red sandstone, Spanish style building houses a world famous international art collection including Impressionist works as well as Italian and Dutch Renaissance paintings. It is said to have been built back-to-front by an architect who supposedly jumped to his death upon completion.
Get your bearings on a sightseeing tour
The unique bus tours are available to take you to places in Glasgow such as the Glasgow University, St. Mungo’s Museum, the People’s Palace and the Gallery of Modern Art. One can spend their whole day sightseeing in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens will definitely blow your mind. The largest terracotta fountain in the world, Doulton Fountain sits just opposite. One of the city’s finest structures ever built, the Lion at City Chambers on George Square, was constructed in 1880 by craftsmen from France and Italy. It is situated at the heart of the city. The Gallery of Modern Art wasn’t always an art gallery! It was once a library, and a telephone exchange and even a mansion home to a very rich tobacco lord at one time. Today it is the home of the city’s most controversial art collection.
Go mad for the local sports
Glasgow is firmly in the spotlight right now as it prepares to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Get tickets if you can to experience the atmosphere.
Elsewhere, Glaswegians go mad for football with three large stadiums here. Hampden Park is dubbed the ‘Home of Football’ and the national team play here. Then there’s Celtic Football Club who play at Celtic Park and Rangers Football Club who play at the Ibrox Stadium. There is also a fourth, smaller stadium of Firhill where Partick Thistle FC play their matches.
Get to know Glasgow’s nightlife
There are a huge variety of nightclubs in the city of Glasgow. From warehouse clubs to jazz clubs to those that feature live music venues; the clubs of Glasgow are extremely diverse. Clubs like Boho, the Classic Grand and the Garage rock out with live music acts and various DJ’s, while King Tuts Wah Wah Hut offers up big names in the cities underground music. Clubs like Kushion will have you entering into a Middle Eastern themed relaxed bar atmosphere with exotic statues and you guessed it, lots of comfy cushions. Revolution is one of the most popular “chain bars” with a lavish type of decor and an abundance of restaurants nearby. Be warned though that the cult classic, the deep fried Mars bar was invented here – and just about anything wrapped in batter goes!
Many top bands and artists originated in Glasgow including Franz Ferdinand, Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Somerville, Glasvegas, Sharleen Spiteri from the band Texas and Midge Ure from Ultravox. Explorer David Livingstone, Chef Gordon Ramsey, entertainer John Barrowman and football manager Sir Alex Ferguson also hail from Glasgow.
There are stand-up comedy clubs in the city to tickle your funny bone – after all, this is the city that controversial comedy Frankie Boyle is from! A whole host of other comedians including Billy Connelly, Gregor Fisher (Rab C Nesbitt) and Jerry Sadowitz also hail from Glasgow.
