|
SWANSEA
Swansea is a city and county in South Wales in the
United Kingdom, situated on the coast immediately to the
east of the Gower Peninsula. The name Swansea is
believed to come from "Sweyn's Ey" ("ey" being a
Germanic word for "island") and to have originated in
the period when the Vikings plundered the south Wales
coast. Swansea is Wales's second city, and it grew to
its present importance during the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, becoming a centre of heavy
industry. However, it did not enjoy the same degree of
immigration as Cardiff and the eastern valleys.
Swansea is a heavily zoned city. In addition to being a
holiday resort, Swansea is also a commercial centre, and
the recently regenerated dock areas are home to some
cutting-edge hi-tech industries. One of the most well-known
employers in Swansea is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Agency. Whilst the city itself has a long history, many
of the city centre buildings are post-war as much of the
centre was destroyed by World War II bombing in the so-called
Three Nights' Blitz. Within the city centre, sites worth
a visit are the ruins of the castle, the Marina, the
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Museum, the Dylan
Thomas Centre, the Environmental Centre, and the Central
Market, which is the largest covered market in Wales. It
backs onto the Quadrant shopping centre which was built
in the 1970s.
Wind Street is the city's main watering hole and also
the location of many chain restaurants. Many of these
buildings were originally banks, with one being the old
central Post Office and thus they are substantially
larger than some of the other city centre pubs. Discos
and clubs line the Kingsway and this street is one of
two hubs of central Swansea nightlife, the other being
the aforementioned Wind Street. St Helen's Road connects
the city centre with the Brynmill area, and has many
Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants and shops on it:
convenient when walking back from the Kingsway to
Brynmill in the evening.
Swansea was granted city status in 1969, to mark Prince
Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales. It
obtained the further right to a have Lord Mayor in 1982.
Many areas of the city have seen changes within the
early part of the 21st century. The Wales National Pool,
of Olympic size, was completed. A new multi-million
pound National Waterfront Museum officially opened in
October 2005. Out-of-town retail parks increased in the
first years of the new century. In addition to the
Enterprise Park, there arose new developments at
Fforestfach and next to the Liberty Stadium in Landore.
With its seaside location and varied inland geography,
Swansea makes a suitable destination for a range of
outdoor activies like swimming, sailing, water skiing,
surfing, sea angling, canoeing, and rowing, or hiking. |
|
|