Cardiff City
Cardiffs Civic Centre . Left of the photo is the City Hall and to the right is the National Museum of Wales
Cardiff takes it's name from the Roman general Aulus Didius, Caer Didi meaning the fort of Didius.The Romans left in the 5th century, and then came the Normans.
In 1091 the Norman Robert FitzHamon began work on building , and a small settlement grew around it.
In Elizabethan times, Cardiff was a lawless, pirate infested port, but in 1608 King James granted Cardiff a Royal charter and by the 18th century it became a sleepy backwater of about 1,500 inhabitants, who lived around the now decaying castle.
In the 1790s the local gentry, the Butes, built the Glamorganshire canal linking Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff, enabling coal from the mining valleys of South Wales to be transported into Cardiff. In 1839 the first dock was built, and Cardiff became the largest coal exporting port in the world.
In 1955 Cardiff became the capital city of Wales. Visitors will find the city one of the most dynamic cities in Europe, Cardiff has excellent shopping areas, plenty of nightlife, parks, museums, and is an excellent base to explore the coasts and heritage of Wales.
Queens Arcade, one of the many shopping arcades that Cardiff has to offer
Cardiff's millenium stadium,home to Welsh rugby, has a seating capacity of 72,500, a fully closing roof which can be opened or closed within 20 mins enabling it to be used in all weathers for concerts, opera, and exhibitions.
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