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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales facts for kids

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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales is a group of seven amazing museums across Wales. It's like a big family of museums! This organisation is supported by the Welsh Government. Its main goal is to collect, care for, and share the history, art, and nature of Wales with everyone.

Amgueddfa Cymru logo
Logo used since August 2022
National Museum Wales (Amgueddfa Cymru) logo
Previous National Museum Wales logo used until August 2022
The Cymmrodorion Society Museum For Wales 1876
Poster from 1876 suggesting a National Museum of Wales.

The organisation used to be called the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. Now it's known as Amgueddfa Cymru, which means Museum Wales in Welsh.

Here are the seven museums that are part of Amgueddfa Cymru:

  • National Museum Cardiff: This is the main museum in the capital city, Cardiff. It has amazing collections of art, natural history, and geology.
  • St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff: This open-air museum lets you step back in time. You can see buildings from different periods of Welsh history, moved and rebuilt here.
  • Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon: Go deep underground at this former coal mine. It shows what life was like for coal miners in Wales.
  • National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre: Learn all about the history of wool and textiles in Wales. You can see old machinery and how wool was made into cloth.
  • National Slate Museum, Llanberis: Discover the story of the Welsh slate industry. This museum is set in a Victorian slate workshop.
  • National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon: Explore the history of the Roman Empire in Wales. This museum is built on the site of a Roman fort.
  • National Waterfront Museum, Swansea: This museum tells the story of industry and innovation in Wales. It's located in a modern building by the sea.

Besides these museums, Amgueddfa Cymru also helps run Oriel y Parc. This is a special gallery in St David's that shows Welsh landscape art. They work with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority for this. The organisation also has a large storage place called the National Collections Centre in Nantgarw. This is where they keep many items that are not currently on display in the museums.

Visitor Numbers at the Museums

Many people visit the museums of Amgueddfa Cymru each year. In 2017, over 1.89 million visitors came to see the different sites. The most popular museum in 2017 was St Fagans National Museum of History. In 2016, the National Museum Cardiff had the most visitors.

Museum visitor numbers
Museum Visitor numbers (2017) Image
St Fagans National Museum of History Increase 553,090 St Fagans Museum Main Building 2018.jpg
National Museum Cardiff Increase 539,550 Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd.JPG
National Waterfront Museum Increase 268,622 National Waterfront Museum (19125415205).jpg
National Slate Museum Increase 145,969 National Slate Museum from above.jpg
Big Pit National Coal Museum Increase 141,969 Big Pit, Blaenavon.jpg
National Roman Legion Museum Increase 70,021 Amgueddfa'r Lleng Rhufeinig.JPG
National Wool Museum Increase 36,909 Welsh National Wool Museum.jpg
Source: Visits to Tourist Attractions in Wales 2017

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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.