It is hard to imagine that Cardiff used to be one of the great powerhouses of the British Empire with all its vast amounts of exploiting and exporting coal from Valleys nearby and steel from the South Wales. It happened so that in the last quarter of the 20th century all these industries almost died and there were no optimistic prospective for any further development of the region. But the government and the European Union offered great support and significant encouragement that resulted in looking for new ways for the region development as there are still things to offer.
Is you decide to visit Cardiff do not expect to see something great and sophisticated that is a usual characteristic of capitals. The city was recognized as a capital only officially but it still remained a small town.
In fact the official status of being a capital did not help the city much, though the city has always been life, full of music and had a bright and colorful nightlife that was mainly due to a great number of students in its universities.
Situated on the narrowest part of the south Wales coastal plain, Cardiff had a crucial strategic importance in the wars between the Normans (who had occupied lowland Wales) and the Welsh who maintained their hold on the uplands. As a result Cardiff claims to have the largest concentration of castles of any city in the world. As well as Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, the remains of Twmpath Castle, the Llandaff Bishop's Palace and Saint Fagans Castle are still in existence, whilst the site of Treoda (or Whitchurch Castle) has now been built over.
Continue reading
This article about Cardiff is written by the orangesmile.com editorial team and is protected by the copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com