Edinburgh

The volcanic Castle Rock has been fortified since at least 600 CE, when the Brittonic people called it Din Eidyn — fortress of Eidyn. Scotland's capital since the 15th century, the city developed two distinct identities: the medieval Old Town clinging to Castle Rock, and the Georgian New Town built from the 1760s. In a single century this city produced Adam Smith, David Hume, James Watt, and Walter Scott — the Scottish Enlightenment punching far above Scotland's weight.