About Glasgow

The largest city in Scotland, Glasgow, is situated at the mouth of the river Clyde, and the good fishing available there was what first attracted settlers.

The river has played an important role since the foundation of the city, and as trade and shipbuilding flourished it continued to do so.

In the Glasgow's industrial heyday it was known as the British Empire's second city, such was the sheer amount of goods passing through it's ports, from cotton to coal, sugar to tobacco. Alongside this growth in trade the city's manufacturing and heavy industry sectors were going from strength to strength - steelworks, shipyards and factories sprung up along the river and "Clyde-built" became a by-word for quality engineering and workmanship.

In more recent times the city has been through financial ups and downs, but since it's European city of culture status in 1990 tourism is up and new industries have moved in.

Glasgow's famous housing 'schemes' have blighted it's image, but urban regeneration projects have transformed what was once a maze of 60's concrete into a vibrant modern city. Known as 'the armadillo', the Scottish Exhibition Centre was designed by Sir Norman Foster and is an example of the city's forward-looking attitude.

One of the great sporting rivalries is played out at least four times every football season in Glasgow when the city's two teams - Celtic and Rangers - meet at either Celtic Park or Ibrox. In the past sectarian tensions between the Protestant Rangers supporters and their Catholic Celtic counterparts have made these games heated affairs, but the rivalry is mainly sporting these days. The city is also home to Hampden Park, where the Scotlish national team play all of their home games and the venue for the 2002 Champions League Final.

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