First Person point of view at one of the best cities in Europe. Glasgow is back. Once the second city of the British Empire, when its shipping, industry and commerce circled the globe, it has reinvented itself as a cultural powerhouse of music, creative arts, theatre, design and innovative cuisine. The transformation from a period of economic decline has been dramatic. It began in earnest in the 1980s, and by the end of the decade it had been proclaimed European City of Culture, followed by City of Architecture and Design, and Unesco City of Music – the first British city to win this accolade. The rusting shipyards faded into history, and in their place rose the striking futuristic architecture of award-winning museums and performance venues. It remains one of the most eclectic architectural cities in Europe, with a wealth of extravagant Victorian buildings in red and blond sandstone with artistic flourishes. Look out for Italianate palazzo frontages, Art Nouveau masterpieces reminiscent of Gaudi, classical Greek and Roman motifs, and the lavish Spanish Renaissance style of its Kelvingrove Art Gallery. Glasgow is a sociable city that has always known how to party. In the 1920s it had 81 ballrooms and dance halls, more than anywhere else in Britain, and thousands were still dancing to big bands in the famed Barrowland as German bombers roared overhead in the 1940s. The music scene today is more diverse and dynamic, with scores of pubs and clubs rocking to indie bands, cool jazz, fiery folk and Latin rhythms, and concert halls showcasing the classics. An average of more than 100 music events take place each week, with international headline acts staged in the city’s stunning new SSE Hydro arena. Scotland’s national orchestra, opera and ballet companies have all based themselves in Glasgow, and in 2019 the city was voted Europe's leading festival and events destination in the World Travel Awards. The city’s original Gaelic name, Glaschu, means ‘Green Place’ and it boasts one of the greatest arrays of public parks and woodland in Europe