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Interesting Facts
- Swansea was once described as an "ugly, lovely town." It is a large and sprawling city that is often boisterous. It is the second city of Wales and has greater hopes of becoming the first. It is a very Welsh town as yr iaith, the Welsh language, is spoken on the streets daily.
- The city's Welsh name is Abertawe and refers to the fact that the settlement is located at the mouth of the River Tawe. It is believed that the English name was promoted from Viking sources suggesting that perhaps a pre-Norman settlement existed in the area.
- Swansea was founded in 1099 when a Norman castle was built as an outpost of William the Conqueror's Empire. A small settlement grew near the coalfields and the sea. Eventually, the area developed into a mining and shipbuilding center. By 1700, it was the largest coal port in Wales.
- In 1941, 30,000 bombs fell upon Swansea in just three nights. World War II had devastated the city. Today, Swansea has a population of 200,000 and is undergoing revitalization. A rekindling music and club scene are just part of the action that is bringing this city back to life.
- No, they're not trashcans! Despite the fact that Swansea's municipal street furniture is an eye-catching turquoise and purple, the angular purple flower stands are frequently mistaken for trash bins.
- The Swansea Museum, which is also known as the Royal Institution of South Wales, is Wales's oldest public museum and was founded in 1835. The biggest attraction is a shriveled Egyptian mummy.
- In the middle of the nineteenth century, Swansea was the metallurgical capital of the world. The city had some 300 chimneys that pushed toxic gases into the Swansea Valley. Diseases were widespread and included cholera, typhoid, and an outbreak of yellow fever. However, the city's natural balance is again secure, and it is now home to one of Britain's largest urban forests with pony trekking and river walks.
- Swansea does seem to suffer from an excessive amount of rainy days. However, plenty of outdoor activities abound for those wet days. The Quadrant, which opened in 1980, is one of the finest modern shopping centers in Wales.
- The Ty Llen was the first National Literature Centre built in Britain and only one of many planned. It became the focal point of the Festival of Literature and Writing that was held in Swansea in 1995.
- Actress Catherine Zeta Jones was born in Swansea. Her middle name, Zeta, has its origins in family connections to the famous nineteenth century Swansea copper ore trading fleet of Henry Bath. Most of his ships were named after the letters of the Greek alphabet and the Zeta was the pride of the fleet for a number of years.
