where art meets industry

TRAVELOGS | Scotland
Glasgow,
where art meets industry
Where travel is celebrated:
the extraordinary Riverside Museum
with the tall ship Glenlee
Glasgow ist eine lebendige Stadt, die für jeden
etwas zu bieten hat: Kunst, Tradition, Kultur,
modische Boutiquen, Nachtleben. Ein Bericht
von TOBY SKINGSLEY
ges
the brid e
One of
d
ly
C
r
e Rive
over th
Fotos: A1PIX/YPT; Alamy; F1online
Green s
pace: ne
xt
Kelving
rove Art to the
Gallery
5|14 Spotlight
31
Red stone, green trees:
Glasgow’s spring colours
H
as Glasgow reinvented itself? Many would say it
has: today, it is widely seen as Scotland’s most
vibrant city. With this September’s referendum on
Scottish independence from the UK making the headlines,
I was curious to discover more about Scotland’s largest city.
Scotland was an independent country until 1707, when
it was united with England and Wales and governed from
London. Today, Scotland is still a part of Great Britain, but
it has managed to keep its identity distinct. Known as creative and hard-working, the Scottish people can be proud
of their achievements in the arts. Writers Robert Burns and
Sir Walter Scott and architects Charles Rennie Mackintosh
and Alexander omson are admired by many around the
world. Fewer people, however, know of Scotland’s achievements in industry. Scottish engineers and inventors were
very important to the Industrial Revolution.
Glas cu — which, in Celtic, means “dear green place”
— was founded by the miracle-working Saint Kentigern in
AD 543. Glasgow’s position on the River Clyde, close to
Scotland’s west coast, was ideal for trade. Starting in the
1700s, the import of tobacco, sugar and cotton from
North America and the West Indies brought great wealth.
Soon, Glasgow was manufacturing its own goods, too. By
the 1800s, it was filled with cotton mills, steelworks and
shipyards. In those days, Glasgow made an estimated
20 per cent of the world’s ships and a quarter of its locomotives. It was the British Empire’s second city.
When these industries fell on hard times, so, too, did
Glasgow. In the mid-20th century, it became known as a
tough city with high unemployment. But recent investment and a focus on service industries have given it new
life. Glasgow still has a reputation for being the working
heart of the country, but it is a vibrant centre of the arts as
well. is combination gives it an attractive mix of style
and grit, something visitors will be able to enjoy during
this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
admire [Ed(maIE]
arts [A:ts]
cotton mill [(kQt&n mIl]
curious [(kjUEriEs]
distinct [dI(stINkt]
goods [gUdz]
grit [grIt]
miracle-working [(mIrEk&l )w§:kIN]
reinvent oneself
[)ri:In(vent wVn)self]
reputation [)repju(teIS&n]
shipyard [(SIpjA:d]
steelworks [(sti:&lw§:ks]
vibrant [(vaIbrEnt]
West Indies [west (Indiz]
bewundern
Künste
Baumwollfabrik
neugierig
eigen, eigenständig
Waren
Zähigkeit, Biss
wundertätig
sich ein neues Image geben
Ruf, Ansehen
Schiffswerft
Stahlwerk
dynamisch, pulsierend
Westindische Inseln,
Karibische Inseln
Day one
10.30 a.m.
e first word I can think of is “energy”. Cars and buses
fill busy Renfield Street, as city workers and shoppers fight
for space. Grand Victorian buildings stand next to modern
office blocks. Buildings of sandstone in tones of dark red
and honey contrast with grey neoclassical facades.
I walk over to George Square, a showcase of Victorian
architecture with the imposing City Chambers, opened in
1888 by Queen Victoria herself. Before it stand some of
Scotland’s leading figures — in statue form, at least. I walk
up to James Watt, one of the most important engineers in
imposing [Im(pEUzIN]
showcase [(SEUkeIs]
steam engine [(sti:m )endZIn]
32
Spotlight 5|14
eindrucksvoll
Vorzeigeobjekt
Dampfmaschine
history. Born just west of Glasgow in 1736, his improvements to the steam engine were important to the Industrial
Revolution. e unit of electrical
power, the watt, is
named after him.
12.15 p.m.
I want to discover
more about Glasgow’s
industrial past, so I
catch the bus to the
Riverside Museum. On
the River Clyde in an
area once full of shipThe great hall of the
Kelvingrove gallery
Fotos: Alamy; AGE
TRAVELOGS | Scotland