The National Monument of Scotland

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The National Monument of Scotland is one of the most famous attractions in Scotland’s beautiful capital city – Edinburgh. It’s situated on Calton Hill, which is in the city centre, slightly east of the popular Princes Street (the most important shopping street of Edinburgh). Calton Hill can be seen from all over the city, which means that the National Monument is one of the most recognizable sights to see.

It was designed during 1823-6 and based on the world-famous Parthenon in Athens, Greece. However, after construction started in 1829 the project very soon ran out of funds and so it was left unfinished. While there have been many ideas since then about how to finish the work, it has been left in its original state because of the cost and also primarily a lack of local enthusiasm.

The monument is Scotland’s national memorial to the soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic wars. However, because of it’s strange unfinished appearance and iconic status, it’s much more famous nowadays for being a fantastic place to take incredible photos of the picturesque city, enjoy a walk with friends or chill out on a sunny day. For anyone visiting Edinburgh, the monument should be at the top of their to-do list, along with the other attractions on Calton Hill such as the Nelson Monument, the Dugald Stewart Monument and the Robert Burns Monument.

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