Stirling named Scotland’s best city for culture
A new study commissioned by rail company LNER has crowned Stirling as Scotland’s cultural capital – sharing the honour with its English counterpart, Cambridge.
The study scrutinised 71 cities and towns across Scotland and England with data covering five themes (including culture) gathered from reputable sources. Indicators for culture included the number of museums, theatres, historic sites, UNESCO listings, art and music events and bookshops. Data was then adjusted for population size and weighted to generate a final score out of 100.
The findings revealed Stirling offers the most enriching cultural experiences for visitors north of the border: Stirling boasts the highest number of bookshops per capita in Scotland; an impressive volume of art (84) and music (58) events per capita; and the city’s seven diverse and high-quality museums helped it clinch the accolade.
Cultural powerhouse
Based on these findings, LNER proclaimed Stirling as Scotland’s leading cultural destination, stating: “With its fairytale skyline and deep historical roots, Stirling is a city where Scotland’s story comes vividly to life.”
The company praised the city’s size compared to its cultural influence noting: “It may be small in size, but it’s mighty when it comes to cultural impact. With one of the highest numbers of museums, bookshops, historic sites and events per capita in Scotland, this historic city is a cultural powerhouse packed into a walkable, picturesque setting.”
Top destination
This latest plaudit from LNER follows praise from travel specialists Lonely Planet who earlier this year rated Stirling as Scotland’s top tourism destination, as well as from communications experts ING Media who found Stirling had overtaken Dundee to become Scotland’s fourth ‘most talked about city’ on social media for the first time ever.
ING’s analysis highlighted a strong correlation between culture, digital visibility and economic investment. Indeed, Stirling’s growth as a cultural powerhouse and rise online is being reflected in investor confidence, with Ernest & Young having forecast Stirling to have Scotland’s fastest-growing economy over the next three years.