A glimpse of English love (74) —— Edinburgh Castle, Scotland (2)

Edinburgh Castle has been the royal castle of Scotland from12nd century to16th century, witnessing many wars in Scotland. It has been a military base since17th century, and now it belongs to historical Scotland. There are still troops in the castle.

In the long-term siege of16th century, most of the buildings in the castle were destroyed, but a few buildings survived the siege.

The charm of Edinburgh lies in its antiquity. Edinburgh Castle became the fortress of the Scottish royal family in the 6th century, more than 200 years earlier than Leeds Castle in England, more than 400 years earlier than Windsor Castle and more than 600 years earlier than Heidelberg Castle in Germany. In the sense of ancient war, Edinburgh is undoubtedly the strongest, most dangerous and most difficult fortress to conquer.

Edinburgh Castle is built on the top of an extinct volcanic rock, with an altitude of 1.35 meters, one slope and three cliffs. As long as you hold the castle gate on the slope, it will be impregnable. Even if the enemy has thousands of troops, there is nothing he can do. This is also unmatched by other castles.

What Scots are most proud of is the political and cultural status of Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh was once the political and cultural center of a country in Scotland, which was unprecedented in any old castle. Therefore, it has experienced many pains and vicissitudes, and political and military struggles have always kept it at the center. In the long history of struggle between Scotland and England, the indomitable spirit of Edinburgh people embodies the spirit of the whole Scots.

The historical features of Scotland are now reflected in the ancient cannons, city walls, war memorials and museums on the castle. This is a veritable "sword in storage, horse in the south." In the era of pursuing peace and development, what we can touch and feel is the creation and construction of a civilization. This kind of creation and construction has a long history and modernity, and these achievements make Edinburgh people proud.

This is the palace in the castle. As a royal residence, the castle mainly lives here, so you can see the rooms where the royal family once lived. There are many Scottish treasures in the palace of this castle, such as the Scottish crown designed by 1540, and other cultural relics such as imperial scepters and swords are placed in the crown room. Unfortunately, these were not saved, because my mobile phone was deleted by mistake.

This used to be a garrison barracks. 1923 After the garrison left the castle, people changed the barracks into the Scottish National War Memorial. This building is now a memorial hall for soldiers killed after World War II. 1945. The decorative sculpture outside the memorial hall represents this "just war". Animals on glass and niches represent evil and good. From left to right, the human figures in the highland of Crown Square represent courage (people holding swords and shields and wearing chain mail), peace (women holding pigeons), compassion (warriors with children) and justice (represented by scales and swords). The image of the phoenix flying above the entrance represents the eternal spirit. Inside is the Hall of Honor, formerly known as the Legion Hall. The immortal contributions and contributions of the Scottish 12 Legion and other troops are recorded here. Further inside (innermost) is the shrine, where the Scottish honor list-the list of those killed in World War II-is kept in a steel box. The statue of the immortal angel Mike is flying in the sky. Colored glass and bronze eaves and walls vividly present the scene of World War I.

The decorative sculpture outside the memorial hall represents this "just war". The sculptures outside the memorial hall were all newly built by local artists when the museum was rebuilt later, and each sculpture has its special symbolic significance. The dancing phoenix above the entrance represents the eternal spirit. Unfortunately, the photos taken inside were not preserved.

On the left side of the gate is a stone unicorn representing Scotland, and the Scottish flag pattern is in the shield.

On the right side of the gate is a stone-carved lion representing England, and the British flag pattern is in the shield.

Edinburgh Castle used to be a fortress, palace, military fortress and national prison, so defense is particularly important. Now, on the walls of the castle, you can see the neatly placed black ancient guns, the muzzle of which is the same as that of that year, facing the Foss Bay River, showing the tension of ancient defense.

Mons Mungo cannon was built in 1449 in Belgium. "Mons" is the name of the town where it was built. The Munsmongo gun is one of the earliest military shells in Scotland, representing the most advanced military level at that time. It can send stone shells weighing150kg to 3.2km away. 1457, duke of burgundy Philip dedicated him to Scottish king James II. Since then, the Munsmongo cannon has settled in Scotland. This dark ancient gun has lost its original function in today's peacetime and can only be displayed as an exhibit.

There is an L 1 18 105mm howitzer on the mounting battery of the mill. Also known as one o'clock gun, starting from 186 1, the gun is fired at one o'clock every day (except Sunday). In the past, the gun was fired to let the sailors on the Firth of Forth calibrate the time. Now this calibration is not needed, but the gun at one o'clock will still fire on time. When one o'clock strikes, the metal ball on the memorial tower on Carlton Hill.