Scottish Parliament Building
Three years late, ten times over budget, and winner of the 2005 Stirling Prize — this building earned every argument.
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Spanish architect Enric Miralles designed a parliament meant to forge a "poetic union" between Scottish landscape, culture, and the city of Edinburgh — then died before it opened. A public inquiry condemned the project's management; architectural critics celebrated the result. Both verdicts feel earned, which makes the building worth your time.
What to look for
- The lintel above the debating chamber — salvaged from the original Parliament House, where Scotland's Parliament sat until 1707
- The overall form, controversial enough to prompt a national inquiry before the building even opened
- The scale of the complex: purpose-built to unite 129 MSPs and over 1,000 staff previously scattered across leased city buildings
At Holyrood in central Edinburgh, at the foot of the Royal Mile — the formal opening was held on 9 October 2004.
Scottish Parliament Building is one of 28 sights worth the detour in Edinburgh, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Edinburgh pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Edinburgh
- Edinburgh CastleAttacked 26 times over 1,100 years — research calls it the most besieged place in Great Britain.
- Holyrood PalaceScotland's working royal residence since the 1500s — the actual rooms where Mary, Queen of Scots lived are open to walk through.
- The National (Scottish National Gallery)Since 1912, two near-identical neoclassical buildings have stood side by side on The Mound — visitors have been walking into the wrong one ever since.
- National Museum of ScotlandDolly the sheep, one of Elton John's extravagant suits, and a Victorian cast-iron hall — all under one free roof on Chambers Street.
- Murrayfield StadiumScotland's largest stadium opened in 1925 with a Grand Slam win — 70,000 people watched it happen.
- St Giles' CathedralA prayer book read here in 1637 caused a riot that sparked a rebellion pulling three kingdoms into war.