Press Releases

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
Annual Report 2006-07

The Senedd, Cardiff Bay
12.30 pm Thursday 25 October 2007

A ten-year strategy to transform St Fagans – Wales's most popular visitor attraction – will be highlighted at the above public event, hosted by the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM.

As well as outlining the achievements of Wales’s seven national museums during 2006-07, the launch of Amgueddfa Cymru’s Annual Report will also be an opportunity hear more about how the organization is using its Centenary year as a platform to realise its vision to become ‘a world-class museum of learning’.

At the heart of the vision is an ambitious plan to make St Fagans: National History Museum the centrepiece of Wales’s cultural tourism offer. Amgueddfa Cymru Director General, Michael Houlihan will say:

“During the next decade, St Fagans: National History Museum will be developed to become the place that tells story of the peoples and nation of Wales, from earliest times to the present day.

“Nations and peoples have a fundamental need to honour the past, their stories and individual memories. Without them, there can be no sense of identity.

“The first steps towards the transformation of St Fagans were taken this year with the opening of Oriel 1. The new gallery explores the theme of Belonging and communities from across Wales collaborated with museum curators to tell the rich and varied stories of our collective past and present. But Oriel 1 is just the beginning.”

The Culture Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM will say: “Our national museums are an important part of our history and heritage. The way in which they have evolved over the years, attracting new audiences and maintaining their relevance to new generations, is a testament to their success.

“I look forward to seeing the exciting developments over the next ten years.”

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales operates seven sites across Wales. These are National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Entry to each museum is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.