On this day 17 years ago the unthinkable happened, Volkswagen stopped making the “original” version of the Beetle, the iconic vehicle dreamed up in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche that became Adolf Hitler’s vision of the “people’s car”. If ever a car oozed personality it was the Beetle, which first came off the production line in…
It’s the 76th anniversary today of the death of a man who passed away almost penniless despite generating ideas that transformed our daily lives and created multiple fortunes for himself and those who financed him. Ground-breaking scientist Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, in what is now Croatia, in 1856 during what he claimed was…
Set in the heart of the Gower Peninsula just west of Swansea, the Gower Heritage Centre is a rural-life museum based around a working 12th century watermill. Established in 1990, it is recognised as a vibrant community for crafts and welcomes visitors from all around the world. The centre houses displays about the history of…
The National Waterfront Museum in Swansea tells the story of Welsh industry and innovation over the past 300 years when Wales can lay claim to being the world’s first industrial nation. By the late 19th century, South Wales was internationally recognised as a centre for heavy industry, coal production and maritime trade and the National…
Uncovered in 1987 during a scheme to landscape an area of Llandudno’s Great Orme, the Copper Mine is the largest Bronze Age example of its kind in the world. Excavated more than 3,500 years ago by miners using nothing more than stone and bone tools, the cavern gives visitors a feel for the harsh conditions…
Dolforwyn Castle stands on a wooded hill overlooking the Severn valley, a scene so peaceful today it is hard to imagine it once being the centre of military conquest. But the Severn valley forms a natural route into Wales and the significance of the river crossing at Rhyd Chwima, near Montgomery, was not lost on…
Situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, Tintern Abbey is a site of outstanding beauty on the Welsh bank of the River Wye that welcomes about 70,000 visitors every year. Founded by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow, in 1131 it was only the second Cistercian foundation in Britain, and the first in…
Located on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, Beaumaris Castle was started in 1295 and was the last and largest of the castles to be built by King Edward I in Wales. A castle was almost certainly planned by Edward when he visited Anglesey in 1283 and designated the Welsh town of Llanfaes to…
The birthplace of Henry VII, Pembroke Castle is set idyllically on the banks of the Cleddau Ddu estuary and is a mighty fortress steeped in history. Extensively restored in Victorian times, it is dominated by a complex gatehouse on the outside and a huge circular keep inside. The walled town of Pembroke also contains many…
The Bala Lake Railway is a narrow-gauge track along the southern shore of Llyn Tegid, Wales’ largest natural lake. The 2ft-gauge line offers a charming nine-mile return journey through the beautiful scenery of the Snowdonia National Park and the nearby mountains of Arenig Fawr and Aran Benllyn. The line, which is 7.2km-long, is built on…
