Edinburgh beats Florence to top culture award

Edinburgh has been named as the top cultural and creative city of its size in a report by the European Commission.

The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor ranked the Scottish capital first among places with a population of 250,000 to 500,000.

It came out on top of 36 others in its category, beating the likes of Florence and Bratislava.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop, said: Edinburgh is recognised internationally as a vibrant hub for culture and creativity, which is why I am pleased that it has been named as the top cultural and creative city in Europe.

Ideas and innovation have always been key to Edinburgh's identity and international outlook.

From its world-famous museums and vibrant creative industries to the year-round festival engagement, the city offers a unique combination of cultural programmes, venues, historic landmarks, world class collections and universities.''

Cities were judged on their cultural vibrancy, creative economy and enabling environment.

Although Edinburgh only ranked fifth, eighth and third in each respective category, it came out on top overall.

Paris was first for places with more than 1 million inhabitants and Copenhagen was top for those between 500,000 and 1 million.

No other UK city was in the top five, but Glasgow finished eighth, behind Copenhagen, in its category.