Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands, was designated a city in 2000, but this burgh has a history going back thousands of years. Founded before 60 BCE, Inverness doesn't look like an old town - it has been sacked and burned so many times that little remains of its long history. There are exceptions, however, including Abertarrf House (1592) and Dunbar's Hospital (1688). Also nearby is the site of the eighteenth-century Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil. Situated at the head of the Moray Firth and the mouth of the Great Glen, Inverness is a terminus and starting point for travel and traffic, living up to its other nickname as the 'Hub of the Highlands'. A third of the population live in and around the UK's northernmost city. In the words of Neil M. Gunn, 'no one can say he has been to the Highlands who has not stopped to sample its spirit in Inverness.

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