Dunkeld

Dunkeld ( Dùn Chailleann in Gaelic) is a small town on the River Tay in the Scottish Highlands. The village is located about two kilometers north of the village of Birnam, as the Birnam Wood plays an important role in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

The name meant Dùn Chailleann The fort of the Caledonians. The remains of the fort can still be seen today.

The center of the village to the ruins of the cathedral, is largely made ​​up of houses of the late 17th century. The cathedral dates from 1325, but already it was around the year 600 a monastery, which was probably founded by Columbanus. There were also 849 since the relics of this missionary, and therefore Dunkeld was for centuries the religious center of Scotland, in the same rank with the political capital of Scone.

The cathedral was destroyed during the Reformation in the 16th century, when Scotland under the influence of John Knox was presbyterian. At that time many churches were destroyed, so that there are many large churches ruins in Scotland.

The Atholl Memorial Fountain in the center of the township was built in 1866 in memory of George Murray, the sixth Duke of Atholl.

In the late 18th century, the city experienced a flourishing of the linen industry. There were several textile mills and many weavers.

In 1809 the ferry, which had until then crosses the Tay between Dunkeld and Birnam, was replaced by a bridge of architect Thomas Telford.

See also: Diocese of Dunkeld

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