Press Releases

Last year (1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019), nearly 1.9 million people visited the seven national museums in the Amgueddfa Cymru family – a 6.5% increase on the previous year and more than any other year in its 112-year history.

Amgueddfa Cymru – the home of Wales’ national collections of art, history and environmental science – shared this story and a number of others at the launch of its Annual Review at the iconic Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay today (22 October 2019).

All seven national museums have played an important role but visitor numbers have no doubt been boosted by the £30m redevelopment of St Fagans National Museum of History, which was selected as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019 – the most prestigious museum award in the world.

Through this project, Amgueddfa Cymru fulfilled an ambition to create a museum where history is made with rather than for people, and which celebrates the cultures of everyone who lives in Wales. Thousands of people collaborated with staff to reimagine the museum and transform how they worked.

Roger Lewis, President of Amgueddfa Cymru said:

“Over recent years Amgueddfa Cymru has developed a ground breaking model for museums.

“Our aim is to enable as many people as possible to enjoy and engage with all of our museums across Wales. Social inclusion and cultural democracy are our watch words.

“Moreover, projects such as the remarkable transformation of St Fagans and the exhibition, Kizuna: Japan, Wales, Design, demonstrates that Wales’ national museums are of international significance.

“We passionately believe that Amgueddfa Cymru is central to life in Wales. Our ambition is to ensure we continue to inspire people from all over Wales and to welcome visitors to our museums from across the globe.”

Key highlights:

• We welcomed 1,887,376 visitors to our seven national museums
• In the last 10 years, our scientists have discovered over 400 new species of living and extinct species from over 65 countries
• We work in partnership with over 120 charities and community organisations
• 1,135 volunteers contributed over 28,500 hours
• We currently have 70 pioneering research projects ranging from natural sciences and art to history and social sciences
• We hosted 57 exhibitions across Amgueddfa Cymru
• Our annual contribution to the Welsh economy of £83 million of gross value added
• We are the largest provider of learning outside the classroom in Wales, reaching 208,388 schoolchildren and students
• We reached over 146,000 followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
• 5 million objects and memories from Wales’ national collections of art, history and science are used to inspire future generations

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is a family of seven museums and a collections centre, which are all free to enter thanks to the support of the Welsh Government. Together, it is home to the nation’s art, history, heritage and science collections, which will continue to grow so that they can be used and enjoyed by both present and future generations.

One of its museums, St Fagans National Museum of History which explores the history and culture of Wales, won the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019.

As a registered charity, Amgueddfa Cymru is grateful for all support. The events and exhibitions programme is supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.