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The National
06-05-2025
- General
- The National
Did Robert the Bruce destroy this Scottish city's castle?
They arrive at Castlegate, which is one of the landmark areas of the city, and ask the obvious question: where is the castle? It's a question I asked when I first visited the city while studying nearby as a teenager some 50 years ago, and today after much research I am going to try to answer that question. That there was a castle in Aberdeen is beyond doubt. Just as with all our Scottish cities, when Aberdeen expanded it did so on the basis of religious foundations, royal patronage, gaining burgh status or similar, and having a fortification. Castlegate That Old Aberdeen had all these attributes is shown by its burgesses being mentioned in documents at the start of the reign of King David I in 1124. By that time the burgh was already trading with the Continent, exporting mainly wool, hides, meal and dried salted fish. As we saw last week, Aberdeen had religious establishments while the Picts still ruled north-east Scotland in the final quarter of the first millennium, and it is known that in 1136 the Bishop of Aberdeen was granted 'tithes' – 10ths of the value – of goods going through the port of Old Aberdeen, suggesting that trade was well established by that time. We also saw last week how Bishop Edward of Aberdeen received a Bull from Pope Adrian IV in 1157, and that either caused or confirmed the establishment of the parish Church of St Nicholas, the patron saint of commerce. Its successor is still considered as being the 'mother kirk' of the city. READ MORE: Large convoy of Belgian army vehicles spotted near Scottish town Aberdeen is also one of the few cities with two patron saints. St Machar was patron of Old Aberdeen, and St Nicholas was acclaimed patron of New Aberdeen, which developed in the 12th and 13th centuries. That Papal Bull also saw Bishop Edward create a team of canons to run his diocese, leading to the building of a 'chanonry' of residences with the area still known by that name. As the history of various towns and cities across Scotland shows, the royals of that period in the early second millennium travelled around from fortification to fortification and installed garrisons to help them control the country. Aberdeen certainly had some kind of castle by the 1150s, because it was in a royal residence there that King Malcolm IV – 'the Maiden' – met with the powerful Viking lord from Orkney, Sweyn Asleifsson or Sveinn Ásleifarson, who Malcolm backed in his various familial disputes over who was really in charge of the Norse areas of Scotland. Some accounts, particularly in the Icelandic-penned Orkneying Saga suggest that Norsemen attacked 'Apardion', as they named it, in 1153, but I think that was just propaganda and the more likely explanation is that King Malcolm and the Vikings agreed some sort of peace treaty. As I wrote last week, Malcolm's successor, William the Lion, gave his designated burgh a charter in 1179 which conferred trading rights and privileges on Aberdeen, and these undoubtedly fuelled the development of the port which began operations from the mouth of the River Dee south of Old Aberdeen. This New Aberdeen also had an early Tolbooth – a mixture of town house and prison – by 1191, and a few years later King William paid for the establishment of a monastery of Trinity friars. It was at this time that people from the south of Scotland and further afield, including from the Continent, began to populate Aberdeen and its surrounding areas, bringing with them a distinctive dialect that survives in Doric. Aberdeen Castle was well positioned to protect both Old Aberdeen and the rapidly developing New Aberdeen, and it was a vital asset for the area, first mentioned in documents in 1264 when a certain Richard Cementarius – 'Richard the Mason' – was paid for his stonework repairs on the castle. He was the chief architect and master mason to King Alexander III, and was obviously well respected in the burgh as he became the first provost of Aberdeen in 1272. Royal patronage continued to benefit Aberdeen. As William Watt recorded: 'By two charters of Alexander III – the one granted at Kintore in 1273 and the other at Kincardine in 1277– the burgesses of Aberdeen obtained the right to hold a yearly fair of two weeks from the day of the Holy Trinity, and were declared, along with their servants, to be free from poinding of goods save for their own debts and obligations.' These charters made Aberdeen a powerful commercial centre – however, its increasing prominence in the affairs of Scotland caused Aberdeen to be thrust into the Wars of Independence, with disastrous results for its castle. Much of the 13th century in Scotland was spent by the nobility fighting among themselves, and the Comyn family emerged as the most powerful in the north-east. Yet they were opposed by other lords and also the burgesses of Aberdeen. When the uncrowned queen Margaret, the Fair Maid of Norway, died in 1290, there was no obvious heir and that led to the nobles asking Edward I of England – aka 'Longshanks' – to govern the process of choosing the new king. With the support of the Comyns, John Balliol was selected, but to Edward's chagrin, in 1295 he chose to sign the Auld Alliance with France against England. Aberdeen was one of the five burghs whose seal was attached to the original vellum document which can today be seen in the National Archives of France in Paris. Longshanks brought a huge army north the following year and massacred the people of Berwick before routing the Scottish army at Dunbar and marching up the east coast to Aberdeen, which one English chronicle of the time described as a 'good town' with 'a fair-sized castle'. Longshanks stayed in it for five days, compelling the burgesses and local lords to swear allegiance to him. He left a garrison which survived a short siege by William Wallace and his allies during their uprising. The garrison held out and was visited by Edward I again in 1303, but after Robert the Bruce murdered John 'The Red' Comyn and took the throne in 1306, he spent several years subduing his enemies across Scotland – including the Comyns. In 1308, King Robert and his increasingly powerful army won the Battle of Inverurie, also known as the Battle of Barra, defeating the Comyns utterly. The king then carried out what became known as the Harrying (or Herschip) of Buchan, laying waste to Comyn lands and fortresses before turning his attention to Aberdeen Castle. No fans of the Comyns, the burgesses and people of Aberdeen rose up against the English garrison. One account says they slaughtered every soldier, while another states they were allowed to escape. Either way, Aberdeen Castle was taken and legend has it that the password used during that military operation was 'bon accord', French for 'good agreement', which became the motto of Aberdeen. It is my theory that in common with all the castles that were recaptured from the English occupiers, King Robert ordered the complete destruction of Aberdeen Castle, a task which the local populace carried out in totality, such had been their hatred of its occupiers until 1308. The wooden parts were probably burned completely and not a wall or single stone was left, with some of the stonework no doubt taken away for use in other buildings. Aberdeen Castle completely disappeared from history and despite archaeological investigations, no trace of it has ever been found. It will remain a source of mystery. After Bannockburn in 1314, King Robert I rewarded his friends and allies with grants of land, and he did not forget the support of the people of Aberdeen. The city council's website records: 'On 10th December 1319, the Stocket Charter, a document written in Latin and signed by King Robert the Bruce, proclaimed at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, and addressed to the 'burgesses and community of our burgh of Aberdeen,' is one of the pivotal documents in the city's history. 'As a reward for its loyalty, the burgh received several grants from Robert the Bruce, including custody of the forest of Stocket, culminating in this charter which gave all revenues from the burgh courts, market tolls, fishing to the burgesses in perpetuity, in return for an annual payment of £213 6s 8d. 'THE charter reserved sporting and timber rights for the crown, but otherwise the city obtained absolute possession. It was an extremely valuable gift, allowing the burgh to generate significant income and to lay the basis for the 'Common Good Fund' which survives to this day. It also enabled Aberdeen to become a significant economic and political power in late-medieval and early-modern Scotland.' This grant was the basis of the Freedom Lands which formed the boundaries of Aberdeen. The Bruce also confirmed the construction of the Brig o'Balgownie which crossed the Don near Old Aberdeen. The king had another strong connection to Aberdeen, his daughter Matilda marrying local man Thomas Isaac. Matilda later died in Aberdeen on July 20, 1353. The city repaid the Bruce for his support in a memorable way, for it was in Old Aberdeen around 1375 that John Barbour, archdeacon of St Machar's, wrote the epic poem The Brus, which remains the chief source of information about the king. The next major figure in Aberdonian history was also a cleric, Bishop William Elphinstone. Born in Glasgow around 1431, he was educated at Glasgow University and later in France. Ordained a priest, he rose to become Bishop of Ross and then of Aberdeen. His legal skills also saw him appointed Lord High Chancellor of Scotland, and though he retired from that post soon afterwards, he carried out major diplomatic missions for King James IV, who supported Elphinstone in his great ambition to establish a university in Old Aberdeen. He obtained a Bull from Pope Alexander VI in 1495 and a royal charter from James IV, as shown by the name he chose for his new university – King's College – at the centre of the Burgh of Barony of Old Aberdeen which Elphinstone also created. He was certainly ambitious, as King's had five faculties from the start and was soon the leading university in the land. With Old Aberdeen having its university, it followed that New Aberdeen wanted one too – the two burghs were rivals for centuries – and in 1593, George Keith, the 5th Earl Marischal of Scotland, founded what became Marischal College. For a time, Aberdeen had two universities, the same number as England, but it was not until 1860 that the two colleges united as Aberdeen University. The Reformation was not entirely grasped by Aberdeen, Old and New, in 1560 but in time the Church of Scotland's followers drove out Catholic worship from the city. With the rest of the north-east, the reformed Christians still favoured bishops and in time the Scottish Episcopal Church established a diocese in Aberdeen, now Aberdeen and Orkney. During the wars of the Three Kingdoms, Aberdeen saw the Marquis of Montrose and his royalist troops win the Battle of Justice Mills, also known as the Battle of Aberdeen, in 1644 after which the royalists sacked and pillaged the city. For Jacobites, there is a sad footnote to this ancient history of Aberdeen. For six weeks before the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Duke of Cumberland stayed in Aberdeen and drilled the government troops in the new tactics they used to defeat the Jacobites in the battle which finished the Rising. I hope I have shown that Aberdeen's ancient history laid the foundations of the great city it became.
Telegraph
19-04-2025
- Telegraph
The central European wine region giving France a run for its money
Ask most people where to find Europe's most exciting wines and they'll rattle off the usual suspects like France, Italy and Spain. Few would mention the Czech Republic (or Czechia, its official short name). But in the quiet vineyards of South Moravia and the gentle hills of Bohemia, a wine revival is underway. Turns out, Czechia isn't just about beer. With around 20,000 hectares under vine, Czechia's wine footprint is tiny, but it makes up for that in character and quality. Vines flourish in town centres, in gardens and in neat rows across sunlit landscapes that have been cultivated for over a thousand years. And the wines are winning acclaim. At the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards, Czech producers picked up 119 gongs, including four golds. Why are they relatively undiscovered? Under communism, viticulture was centralised and quality sacrificed for quantity, so Czechia's winemakers had to start from scratch after the 1989 revolution. Now, they're reclaiming lost ground. Grapes like grüner veltliner, riesling and welschriesling are thriving, pinot noir (grown here for centuries) flourishing and gently floral pálava, a white grape grown almost exclusively here, enjoying a revival. Best of all, it hasn't been mobbed by wine tourists. Not yet, anyway. A good place to start a wine journey is Mikulov, a postcard-pretty town just over an hour from Vienna, or a few hours' scenic drive from Prague. It sits beneath a curve of vine-covered hills in the heart of the Pálava region, crowned by a Renaissance château whose terraces offer views across the red-tiled rooftops to the limestone ridges beyond. The cobbled streets are dotted with wine bars where a 100ml pour might set you back £2 and an entire bottle rarely breaks a tenner. Just under an hour north-west of Mikulov, is Znojmo, a medieval town perched above the Dyje River and one of the oldest winemaking centres in the country. A warren of fourteenth century tunnels runs beneath its streets, open for guided tours if you don't mind tight spaces. Above ground, the Church of St Nicholas, with its globe-shaped pulpit, and 11th century Rotunda of St Catherine, steal the show. But for wine lovers the real draw is the Enotéka, set in a former monastery, where 120 local wines are offered on tap. Just load a card with credit and try as many as you like: classics, natural wines, ice wine or straw wine (made from grapes dried on straw mats to concentrate sugars and flavours, similar to vin Santo). Another way to taste the breadth of Czech wine is the Wine Salon in Valtice, a grand château once owned by the Liechtenstein family and now home to the National Wine Centre. In its vaulted cellars you can try up to 100 of Czechia's top wines for €29, surely the best value wine-tasting offer in Europe. You're handed a glass and given two hours to explore and taste at your own pace. Elsewhere, winemaking takes a contemporary turn. Obelisk is a striking modern winery with sleek tasting rooms and accommodation. And in the nearby village of Pavlov, Plener Winery takes a different approach again, producing low-intervention, organic wines, some of which come in cans. On weekends between May and September, visiting chefs take over the space outside the cellar and cook for visitors who can stretch out on deckchairs in the sunshine while they taste and eat. If almond brandy is your thing, and you visit in April, nearby Hustopeče is worth a detour. The almond orchards burst into blossom then, and producers set up beneath the trees to pour their wares. If, on the other hand, you need a pause from all the sipping, try the nearby Lednice Château, another former Liechtenstein bolthole, a Unesco World Heritage site and a marvel of neo-Gothic flamboyance. In Vrbice, wine cellars are Hobbit -liked warrens that were carved into the sandstone beneath the vineyards from the eighteenth century onwards. Their arched stone fronts lead into cool, silent tunnels that smell of wine and history. It looks Disney -esque but this is a working wine village, and the magic is entirely real. A short drive away in Bořetice, the self-declared Free Federal Republic of Kraví Hora brings a touch of playfulness to the vineyards, complete with its own flag, constitution and elected president. The set-up may be tongue-in-cheek, but this is a serious wine growing area, producing excellent wines. During tasting season from April to September, cellar doors are flung open, tables appear in the narrow lanes and visitors are welcomed with food, music and plenty to taste. Bohemia, which makes up the western two-thirds of Czechia, is less associated with wine than the south, but it has its gems, like Kutná Hora. Most of the city is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the Gothic spires of St Barbara's Cathedral, along with the saint-lined street modelled on Prague's Charles Bridge, take your breath away. The Sedlec Ossuary is both macabre and mesmerising, its chandeliers and altars crafted from the bones of more than 60,000 people. Like many towns across Czechia, grapevines grow right in the centre and the wine is good. At Vinne Sklepy, in the former nunnery of St Ursula, winemaker Lukáš Rudolfský welcomes visitors to taste his beautiful organic wines. (If you're lucky, he'll play the piano for you and offer pork rillettes made from an old family recipe.) The Lobkowicz Winery, in the cellars of the nearby château, is also worth a visit. The food in Czechia is as much a part of the experience as the wine. Traditional soups, goulash, roast meats, pickled vegetables, dumplings and farmhouse cheeses sit at the heart of the nation's table. But chefs are modernising. At Thaya Winery in South Moravia (one of Decanter's 2023 Gold Medal winners) traditional ingredients are reworked with a lighter hand and a modern eye. Game pâté might be piped onto an éclair instead of served on dark bread, pork could be paired with green apple and horseradish purée instead of dumplings, and smoked trout married with pickled radishes and confit potatoes. The food is rooted in tradition, but definitely not stuck in the past. Just like the wine. The essentials EasyJet offers return flights to Prague from several UK cities from around £50 return. Flying to Vienna is another option: Ryanair offers return flights from a number of UK cities for a similar price. Hotel Galant in Mikulov offers doubles from £100 per night. In Kutna Hora, doubles at Hotel Barborský dvůr start at £90 per night. Doubles at the Obelisk winery start from £123 per night.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
A guide to Sofia, Bulgaria's ever-evolving cultural capital
Distinctive architecture, vast murals and lively local markets set the character-filled capital city of Sofia apart. Located in the western part of Bulgaria, the city is surrounded by mountains and bordered on its southern edge by the great green sweep of the Vitosha massif. Set against this verdant backdrop, Sofia's varied museums and galleries provide the chance to discover Bulgaria's long and incredibly rich history, from the ancient Thracian tribes to the country's time under Communist rule. Visitors can try traditional Bulgarian dishes at restaurants dotted along Sofia's most famous streets — including Vitosha Boulevard, Shishman Street and Oborishte Street — or glimpse into one of the city's iconic klek shops, which operate out of the basements of old buildings. The city also boasts a packed festival calendar, attracting musicians and fans of all genres. Here, we take you through some of the cultural highlights of Bulgaria's capital. One of the first things that strikes you in Sofia is its remarkable architecture, ranging from Byzantine to Brutalist, medieval to modern. Starting from the beginning, so to speak, with the city's oldest surviving building. Dating back to the 4th century CE, the red brick Rotunda Church of St George was originally built as a bathhouse. Similarly historic, the Basilica of St Sofia is home to an underground museum, which showcases the remains of several earlier churches as well as a Roman-era necropolis. In the southwest of the city, the UNESCO-listed Church of St Nicholas and St Pantaleon, often called the Boyana Church, is known for its impressive medieval frescoes. Other architectural feats in Sofia include the grand, Neo-Renaissance National Assembly and the bijou Russian Church. Yet, no other building defines the Bulgarian capital more than the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral — a vast Neo-Byzantine construction, most of it dating to the early 20th century, which can hold a congregation of several thousand people beneath its cascading green domes. Not only are Sofia's buildings spectacular, they are daubed in some of the continent's most accomplished street art. The best murals are found in and around the KvARTal district, the city's former Jewish quarter, which in recent years has developed a vibrant art scene. It's here that you'll find well-known works such as The Hug by Bulgarian street artist Nasimo, which depicts two people embracing, and Tulip Girl (Serdika Tulip) by Arsek & Erase — a bright, flower-filled mural created with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bulgaria. Slightly further afield, the Hadzhi Dimitar neighbourhood (accessible via metro M3) is another great place to spot street art, including The Bull by Bulgarian artist Bozko, a highly-detailed work featuring a man in armour sitting on top of a large bull. Travellers can find many of the city's most striking murals using the Sofia Street Art Map, which features works from 16 local and international artists. Sofia's National History Museum is the largest museum in Bulgaria and one of the city's must-see attractions. Here, you'll find a vast collection spanning millennia, including jewellery and other items in exquisitely worked gold dating back to the Thracian period. For an interactive experience, visit The Red Flat — a museum that invites you to step back into 1980s Communist Bulgaria. The National Gallery is home to more than 40,000 paintings, sculptures and graphic works located across several branches, with the newest and largest building, Kvadrat 500, situated behind St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The crypt of the cathedral holds the National Gallery's Museum of Christian Art, which features a collection of iconographic patterns from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The city's Regional History Museum is an another prime location for discovering Sofia's past, with exhibits covering the period from the Neolithic era up to the 1940s. Finally, the National Museum of Earth and Man is a must for anyone with even a passing interest in geology, rocks and minerals, with over 20,000 objects on display. For those who time their visit right, the city hosts a number of music festivals across the year. Fans of every genre are catered for: in July, the city hosts A to JazZ — a fantastic jazz festival, which over the years has featured legends such as Branford Marsalis, John McLaughlin and Kenny Garrett. Another standout in the city is Sofia Live, a three-day multi-genre festival in June that features both big-name artists and local emerging talent. And it's not just music on the menu — Sofia's two-week International Film Festival kicks off in March; Aniventure Comic Con, the country's biggest annual event for fans of anime, cosplay, comic books and gaming, takes place in July; and the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon in October draws thousands of runners each year. Plus, the Lunar Festival of Lights in May transforms the facades of iconic buildings and monuments into giant canvases, primed for works by local and international artists. In December, visitors can get into the holiday spirit at one of the many festive markets located around Sofia. Sofia's food scene is a microcosm of all that's best about Bulgarian cuisine — think rich stews, traditional flaky cheese pastry (banitsa), grilled meat and sun-soaked vegetables. There's something here for all tastes and budgets, whether you're looking for traditional Bulgarian dishes or international flavours. Start your culinary tour with a stroll down Vitosha Boulevard, which is lined with restaurants and cafes, or head to the colourful KvARTal district. Tsar Shishman Street is another good place for restaurants — and be sure to visit the Women's Market, with its mountains of fresh local produce. Many of the city's klek shops (meaning 'squat' shops) selling drinks and snacks have closed in recent years, but you can still find a few of them — though you'll need to squat to reach the shop window, as they're housed in basements manned by a solitary shopkeeper. Just over six miles south of the city, the Vitosha massif is Sofia's outdoor playground. It's a fantastic place for hiking and mountain biking in the summer months, while in the winter, it transforms into an ideal landscape for skiing and sledging. Don't let its relative proximity to the Bulgarian capital deceive you — Vitosha's highest peak, Cherni Vrah, stands at 7,513ft, and the views from here are breathtaking. Vitosha is a perfect spot for day hikes from Sofia, but make sure you carry enough water and wear suitable clothing, as the weather up here can change on a dime. This paid content article was created for Visit Sofia. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller (UK) or their editorial subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
