Heritage Wales

From contemporary art to dinosaurs, Monet to Mammoths! There’s something for everyone at the city centre National Museum Cardiff

With one of the finest collections of Impressionist paintings in Europe, and a journey through time and space in the Evolution of Wales gallery where you will come face to face with dinosaurs and woolly mammoths.

See centuries of Welsh history come to life at St Fagans National Museum of History

Be inspired by Welsh traditions and lifestyles at Wales’s most popular heritage attraction and one of Europe’s leading open-air museums and explore how people in Wales have lived, worked and spent their leisure time.

See the tower that ‘out-leans’ the Tower of Pisa at the huge Caerphilly Castle!

The fortress sprawls over a huge area making it the largest castle in Wales.

Visit the relatively modern fairytale Castell Coch resting on much older foundations.

The castle is the by-product of a vivid Victorian imagination, assisted by untold wealth.

Find out how the Romans changed life in Wales forever at the National Roman Legion Museum

Learn first hand how the Romans lived, fought and died at the furthest outpost of the Roman Empire.

Tour a real coalmine and take the world famous Underground Tour at the award-winning Big Pit National Coal Museum

See what life was like for thousands of men who worked at the coal face in this unique landscape designated as a World Heritage site.

Get a feel of what it would have been like to live and work at the impressive Blaenavon Ironworks back in the 18th century!

The site is free to all and refurbished cottages, a recreated company truck shop and new cutting-edge audio post technology helps bring the story of the ironworks to life like never before.

See how the Romans spent their leisure time in the second century at the impressive remains of Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths.

The variety of the remains on view is unparalleled within these isles.

The appeal of the exceptional Cistercian Tintern Abbey remains as enduring as ever

Tintern was only the second Cistercian foundation in Britain, and the first in Wales. The abbey has inspired many world-renowned artists and poets, including J.M.W. Turner and William Wordsworth

Raglan Castle is a stunning statement of wealth and power – and is well worth a visit!

Everything’s great about this place, from its great tower to the great gatehouse, which ‘wows’ the visitor just as its owner intended.

Chepstow Castle boasts the oldest castle doors in Europe. All wood and all of 800 years old.

Until 1962 these doors hung in the main gateway, but are now in safe keeping in the on-site exhibition.

Powerful round towers guard the heart of White Castle, the best preserved of the Three Castles – namely White, Skenfrith and Grosmont.

The Three Castles are usually grouped together because for a large part of their history they were part of a block of territory under the control of a single lord, Hubert de Burgh.

Uncover the secrets of slate at the National Slate Museum

Experience authentic quarry workshops with its operational machinery and engineering workshops, and craftsmen to demonstrate traditional skills of splitting and dressing slate.

Visit the huge and impressive Caernarfon Castle. It’s the mightiest of castles built by Edward I.

Picking a fight with this massive structure would have been a daunting prospect. By throwing his weight around in stone, King Edward I created what is surely one of the most impressive of Wales’s castles. Worthy of World Heritage status no less.

Explore the twin-towered fortress, Criccieth Castle built by a Welsh prince.

Perched on a headland with the sea as its constant bedfellow, the views are spectacular! Its twin-towered gatehouse intimidates prospective attackers. So badly did the native Welsh princes and English monarchs want it, that it changed hands more often than a relay baton.

Harlech Castle is one of four castles in north-west Wales that make up a World Heritage Site – and is well worth a visit!

Harlech’s battlements spring out of a near-vertical cliff-face, and Edward I’s tried and tested ‘walls within walls’ model was put together in super-fast time here between 1283 and 1295 by an army of nearly a thousand skilled craftsmen and labourers.

Beaumaris Castle, the most technically perfect castle in Britain, has few equals.

The last hurrah of Edward I’s massive building programme in north Wales – it’s a shame he never got round to finishing it! Beaumaris is one of the four castles which make up The Castles and Town Walls of Edward I in Gwynedd World Heritage Site – and it’s easy to see why!

Uncover the spellbinding story of the Welsh woollen industry at the National Wool Museum

Learn all about the process from fleece to fabric from the shearing of sheep for their fleece to turning the yarn into cloth.

Learn about Cilgerran Castle, a castle that’s changed hands a number of times over its 800 year history.

Traditionally, medieval castles were designed with a keep or strong tower at the centre but Cilgerran Castle is unusual because two massive round towers were erected instead. These, despite Owain Glyndŵr’s best efforts, still stand to a good height today.

Find out who you are at The National Library of Wales

Whether you are interested in finding out more about your family tree, the history of your house or uncovering our nation’s treasures, The National Library of Wales is the place to begin your journey. This iconic building is home to the largest art gallery in Wales; a priceless collection of books, rare manuscripts, films, paintings and maps, and plays host to a regular programme of events exploring the heritage and culture of Wales."

Come and visit the Royal Commission and discover more about the heritage of Wales

With nearly 2 million historic images, plans and maps – there’s plenty to explore!

Denbigh’s finest feature is its striking triple-towered great gatehouse.

Along with over half a mile of town walls, Denbigh Castle is a classic fortress of Edwardian proportions.

Conwy Castle's massive military strength springs from the rock on which it stands.

Built for Edward I, by Master James of St George, the castle is amongst the finest surviving medieval fortifications in Britain. An estimated £15,000 was spent building the castle, the largest sum Edward spent in such a short time on any of his Welsh castles between 1277 and 1307. Conwy is one of the four castles which make up The Castles and Town Walls of Edward I in Gwynedd World Heritage Site – and it’s easy to see why!

Located on the north-east coast, Flint Castle famously features in Shakespeare’s Richard II.

Begun in 1277, Flint was one of the first castles to be built in Wales by King Edward I. The castle famously features in Shakespeare's Richard II – when it serves as an important setting for a crucial part of the play – the moment that Richard II is captured by Henry Bolingbroke, ultimately leading to Richard’s abdication and the ascension of King Henry IV.

Soak up the history of the Industrial Revolution in Wales and innovation at the National Waterfront Museum

Using cutting-edge and interactive technology at your fingertips you will find out how the lives of people and their communities were transformed and also get to see the role of technology in modern day Wales.

Kidwelly Castle is on a par with the other great castles of Wales.

See where Welsh warrior princess Gwenllian went to battle to save the Deheubarth from Norman invaders near the castle.

Think Laugharne, think Dylan Thomas. The magnificent medieval Laugharne Castle turned Tudor mansion later inspired both Dylan and author Richard Hughes to put pen to paper in the castle’s garden summerhouse.

Make time to stroll through the castle’s Victorian gardens before heading for the foreshore to take in the views

Don’t tell anyone but Oxwich Castle is actually a grand Tudor house, not a castle.

With spectacular views of the Gower we can see why the location was chosen!

An attack on Carreg Cennen Castle must have presented a daunting prospect!

The castle’s defences exploited the natural environment to great effect, glued to the sheer cliff-face on all sides. The stronghold led a chequered life however, falling into Welsh and English hands during the troubled medieval period.