1. Bee aware
The City Chambers is abuzz with more than just the cut and thrust of local politics. Two colonies of honeybees reside in insulated hives on the roof of the building in a bid to stem the decline in numbers of the vital insects.
2. A factory fit for a king
When industrialist James Templeton kept having his planning applications for a carpet factory turned down by Glasgow Corporation (the city council's predecessor), he approached famed architect William Leiper with the brief to design for him a factory so grand, no one could reject it. Leiper, a Glaswegian architect considered second only to Mackintosh by many, based his masterpiece on the Doge's Palace in Venice. Today the building still stands on Glasgow Green, part business centre, part brewery. Fun fact, the West brewery claim they are the only UK brewery to produce all their beers in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot, the German Purity Law of 1516, which allows brewing only with water, hops and malt.
3. A rollercoaster in a garden
When the city played host to the third of the UK's National Festivals in 1988, it marked the centenary of Glasgow's first International Exhibition and was an important milestone in the city's post-industrial transformation. More importantly however was the fact it brought a roller-coaster to the city, the Coca-Cola roller to be specific. Sadly it's now to be found in a Suffolk amusement park under the name Wipeout.
4. Back to front on an urban myth
One enduring city legend is that the iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was built the wrong way round, prompting the architect to leap to his death from one of the towers. Completely untrue, a much more accurate fact is that the museum, which was completed in 1901, is the most visited free attraction in Scotland, and the most visited museum outside of London. Charles Rennie Mackintosh actually submitted a design for the building, but was rejected in favour of Sir John W. Simpson and E.J. Milner Allen's Spanish Baroque vision.
5. Bridging the distance between friends
The glass-walled railway bridge which carries the platforms of Central Station across Argyle Street is colourfully known as The Hielanman's Umbrella for its part in Glasgow's past. During the forced displacement of the Highland clearances in the 19th century, 30,000 Scottish Gaelic-speaking Highlanders who lacked English came to find work in the city. Housed across many different regions of Glasgow, the Highlanders would keep in touch by meeting under the bridge, a handy umbrella against Scotland's fickle weather.
6. Billy Connolly can hang his washing up in George Square
Recipients of the Freedom of the City are entitled to several unusual perks, including grazing sheep on Glasgow Green, fishing in the Clyde and hanging their washing up in George Square. As far as we know The Big Yin, who was given the honour in 2010, has yet to stick out the drying.
7. Gothic glory
The city is home to the second largest example of Gothic revival architecture in Britain. Glasgow University's splendour is beaten only by the Palace of Westminster.
8. There's no business like showbusiness
The Trongate is home to the oldest surviving music hall in the world, the Britannia Panopticon. Built in 1857, it has hosted famous names such as Stan Laurel and is today being conserved by a trust who still perform traditional shows there.
9. Elephants never forget
For a century Sir Roger the Asian elephant has been one of Kelvingrove museum's most popular exhibits. When the gallery was refurbished, the elephant's grand bulk proved too big to remove, making him the longest-standing exhibit in the museum.
10. Sailing into the wind
The city holds the only structure on the planet capable of rotating 360 degrees into the prevailing wind, the Glasgow Tower at Glasgow Science Centre. Sadly the 127 metres high structure has been plagued by technical issues since it opened at the turn of the century, meaning it has been closed the vast majority of its life.
READ MORE: Science centre rotating tower to reopen after £1.8m revamp
11. The height of entertainment
A slightly more successful towering structure in Glasgow is Renfrew Street's Cineworld. It's currently the tallest cinema in the world at 203 feet and can accommodate more than 4300 people.
12. A long way for a drink
Though this claim isn't backed up by a Guinness World Record, Drury Street's Horseshoe Bar is apparently the longest in Europe at 104 feet and three inches. It also helped Scots indie rockers Travis early in their career, who used the upstairs room as a practice space.
13. Naan better at curry
The city also has the singular distinction of being the only city to win the Curry Capital of Britain an astonishing four times.
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