Aberdeen (The Granite Cite) - A City Guide

Introduction
 
 Aberdeen (The Granite City) is Scotland's third largest city. Aberdeen is the chief commercial centre and seaport in the north-east of Scotland. It boasts the title of Oil Capital of Europe thanks to the plentiful supply of crude oil in the North Sea, and stands on a bay of the North Sea, between the mouths of the rivers Don and Dee.
 
 History
 
 Aberdeen grew up as two separate burghs - Old Aberdeen at the mouth of the Don and New Aberdeen, a fishing and trading settlement where the Denburn entered the Dee estuary. The earliest charter was granted by King William the Lion about 1179, confirming the corporate rights granted by David I. The city received other royal charters later. In 1319, the Great Charter of Robert the Bruce transformed Aberdeen into a property owning and financially independent community. The city was burned by Edward III of England in 1336, but was soon rebuilt and extended, and called New Aberdeen. For many centuries the city was subject to attacks by the neighbouring lords, and was strongly fortified, but the gates were all removed by 1770. In the 18th century a new Town Hall was built, elegantly furnished with a marble fireplace from Holland and a set of fine crystal chandeliers and sconces. The 19th century was a time of considerable expansion. By 1901 the population was 153,000 and the city covered more than 6,000 acres (24 km²). In the late 18th century, the council embarked on a scheme of road improvements, and by 1805 George Street, King Street and Union Street were open, the latter a feat of extraordinary engineering skill involving the partial levelling of St Catherine's Hill and the building of arches to carry the street over Putachieside. The increasing economic importance of Aberdeen and the development of the shipbuilding and fishing industries brought a need for improved harbour facilities. During this century much of the harbour as it exists today was built including Victoria Dock, the South Breakwater and the extension to the North Pier.
 
 Places of interest
 
 The main places of interest for the tourists in Aberdeen are the museums, art galleries and the Scotland's castle trails. Here is a list of interesting places in Aberdeen:
 
 " Aberdeen Art Gallery
 " Aberdeen Maritime Museum
 " Castle Fraser
 " Craigievar Castle
 " Crathes Castle
 
 About The Author
 
 
 Name: Maria Williams
 Occupation: Traveller
 Website: www.sleepuk.com
 Biography: Maria is with Sleep UK - providers of discounted hotels to make your stay in the UK as comfortable as possible.
 
 View their website at: http://www.sleepuk.com
 
 nivedita@webindia.com