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Aberdeen Overveiw
Scotland's third largest town lies on a bay of the North Sea between the mouths of two rivers, the Don and the Dee. Aberdeen has been called 'the Granite City' for the gray stone quarried in the vicinity and used in many of the city's older buildings, 'the Flower of Scotland' for its marvelous parks and gardens, and, more recently, 'the Oil Capital of Europe' as the principal port servicing off-shore oil platforms in the North Sea. It has a population of about 200,000.
Until 1891, Aberdeen was actually two separate burghs: Old Aberdeen and New Aberdeen. Old Aberdeen developed around St Machar's Cathedral in the north, at the mouth of the Don. It is rich in historical buildings in the omnipresent gray granite. Today, most of it constitutes the campus of the University of Aberdeen. The magnificent building of King's College Chapel is remarkable for its open crown spire and its rich collection of medieval woodcarvings. St Machar's Cathedral is a fortified kirk with twin towers. The western tower contains a heraldic ceiling with 48 coats of arms. The 18th-century Old Town House is another architectural landmark of Old Aberdeen, and so is the Brog o'Balgownie - a bridge over the Don built in granite and sandstone in the 13th century which played an important role in communications. Its single Gothic arch spans 12 metres, and rises 17 metres above the water at low tide. It claims the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge. Today, it is closed to car traffic.
The commercial New Aberdeen grew around the harbour on the Dee. It was burned by Edward III in 1336 but was quickly rebuilt and fortified. It was plundered repeatedly during the Scottish Civil War in the 17th Century. The development of deep-sea fishing and shipbuilding called for an improvement of harbour facilities, and Aberdeen soon became Scotland's largest fishing port. It is still the principal commercial port of northern Scotland servicing general cargo, roll-on/roll-off and container traffic.
Back to the architectural landmarks of the Granite City, we should first mention the busy thoroughfare of the mile-long Union Street. Twenty-one metres wide, it contains most public buildings and a multitude of shops. Part of it crosses the Denbum ravine by Union Bridge.
The Market Cross in front of the Salvation Army Citadel is a hexagonal structure with a shaft crowned by the royal unicorn in its center. It is richly decorated with medallions representing Scottish monarchs. The Cross was designed by a local architect, John Montgomery, in 1686. Marischal College is the second largest granite building in the world. It is a beautiful example of Edwardian architecture.