Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Catching a match in one ofCeltic(
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)
orRangers'(
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)
cauldrons of football
Showing your latest dance moves among Glasgow's plethora ofnightclubs(
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where the country's best DJs strut their stuff
Deciding which one of the West End's excellentrestaurants(
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you are going to dine at next
Discovering the work ofCharles Rennie Mackintosh (
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)
- 'geni-
us' is an overused word, but few would argue with it here
Plunging into the legendary and diverse live- music scene(
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)
in
one of the city's legendary pubs
Exploring Glasgow's industrial heritage and green surroundings on one of
the greatcycle routes(
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)
Immersing yourself in Glasgow's friendly gay culture in one of the bars of
thePink Triangle(
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)
History
Glasgow grew around the cathedral founded by St Kertigan, later to become St Mungo, in
the 6th century. Unfortunately, with the exception of the cathedral, virtually nothing of the
medieval city remains. It was swept away by the energetic people of a new age - the age
of capitalism, the Industrial Revolution and the British Empire.
In the 18th century, much of the tobacco trade between Europe and the USA was routed
through Glasgow and provided a great source of wealth. Even after the tobacco trade de-
clined in the 19th century, the city continued to prosper as a centre of textile manufactur-
ing, shipbuilding and the coal and steel industries. The outward appearance of prosperity,
however, was tempered by the dire working conditions in the factories.
In the first half of the 20th century Glasgow was the centre of Britain's munitions in-
dustry, supplying arms and ships for the two world wars, in the second of which the city
was carpet-bombed. In the postwar years, however, the port and heavy industries began to
dwindle, and by the early 1970s the city looked doomed. Unlike in Edinburgh, the
working-class residents of Glasgow had few alternatives when recession hit, and the city
became synonymous with unemployment, economic depression and urban violence,
centred around high-rise housing schemes such as the infamous Gorbals. More recently,
urban development and a booming cultural sector have injected style and confidence into
