The City Series: Dundee
We’ve teamed up with our sister company BOHO for Part Two of our City Series! We've explored Dundee, its history, and culture to share some interesting facts you may not have known about Scotland’s sunshine capital...
Dundee, also known as “Scotland’s Sunshine City” gets more hours of sun than anywhere else in Scotland. In recent years, Dundee has been listed by both Lonely Planet and The Wall Street Journal as one of Europe’s must-visit cities. With friendly locals and an abundance of attractions including museums, bars, restaurants, exhibitions and festivals, there’s much to see and get involved in.
There are also plenty of green spaces to get out and enjoy nature - See Dundee have listed some of the best spots including Magdalen Park and Dawson Green. Want to find more? Check out the full list here.
The coastal city is the birthplace of the legendary game Grand Theft Auto - one of the best-selling video game series of all time. More recently, the city has been put on the map for opening the V&A Dundee in 2018 - Scotland's first design museum – which has attracted many new visitors to the area. The iconic building now standing in the centre of the £1bn waterfront transformation, was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma who also designed the stadium for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. The V&A's curved concrete walls hold 2,500 pre-cast rough stone panels that weigh up to 3000 kg each and span up to 4m wide - a design idea to create the appearance of a Scottish cliff face.
Image Credit: V&A Dundee, ©HuftonCrow
Dundee is known for its creativity and design. 100 years ago, it was an economic powerhouse for the textile trade and shipbuilding - that creative flair still exists today. Dundee has two fantastic Universities, Abertay University which specialises in digital design and computer games, and The University of Dundee which has a stellar art and design faculty – the Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art and Design. Creativity just beams from the city, even back in the 1930s when two of the best-selling comics in the UK were created - The Beano and The Dandy.
Dundee University is also considered the best place to study medicine in the UK and second for dentistry, as voted by students in the Complete University Guide 2021 Rankings. It's safe to say it's an amazing city for students - there are plenty of sports clubs to join, societies to get involved in, and nightlife on offer too.
Dundee got worldwide recognition recently on Ru Paul’s Drag Race where Ellie Diamond, a Dundee-based Drag Queen reached the explosive final in the competition. Talking of explosions, did you know that Dundee has a volcano? Dundee Law is a hill in the centre of the city which is in fact an extinct volcano but don’t let that put you off – it hasn’t erupted in around 400 million years.
A ground-breaking Dundee project won a prestigious Scottish Public Service Award in 2020. The Colin Mair Award for Policy in Practice recognises the implementation of policy that has made a real practical difference to people’s lives. Dundee City Council’s Greenspace Team partnered with NHS Tayside Public Health to use nature as a doctor-prescribed and health-promoting resource.
Dundee has a sandy beach! Just a 20-minute train journey from the city centre, you can reach Broughty Ferry which is a pleasant suburb just four miles east of the city. What better way to celebrate the 1426 hours of sun each it gets each year?
Visit Scotland has compiled a list of must-see attractions for locals and visitors to the city which includes the Broughty Ferry shoreline, Dundee Museum of Transport, and Clark’s 24-hour bakery! You can view the list by visiting the Visit Scotland website.
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External Links:
https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/info/our-building
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/stories/dundee-top-uk-medicine-complete-university-guide-2021
https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/news/article?article_ref=3824
https://www.seedundee.com/see/parks/come-outside-dundees-best-parks-and-green-spaces-for-when-you-want-a-breath-of-fresh-air/
https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/dundee/see-do/hidden-gems/
