Mid Wales is the middle part of Wales. It is a sparsely populated, mountainous area with a stretch of coast towards the Irish Sea.
Regions
Mid Wales includes the counties
places
Other goals
background
Mid Wales includes the two counties Ceredigion and Powys. The term "Midwales" is to some extent misleading because the county Powys includes the eastern border of Wales with the English counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire. Central Wales is Powys only in the sense that it is one of six counties that have no coastline; Central Wales is mostly mountainous and parts of it are difficult to access. The landscape was shaped by Paleozoic mountain ranges that were shaped in different ways by the Ice Ages. From the southwest, carbonic materials reach into Mid Wales without having triggered the same industrial developments as in South Wales, where mining led to an economic boom and the decline of the same to structural problems that have not yet been fully resolved. (Large areas of Mid Wales are now designated production areas in Great Britain.) In the north, the region extends into the Cambrian basement, which derives its name from this region. The mountains essentially follow the Variscan strike direction, which is north of the Irish Sea in Scotland, and finally through Scandinavia. The mountainous landscape with heights of up to 1000 meters above sea level (Snowdon, however outside of Central Wales), in connection with exposure to the west, causes a humid, cold and harsh climate in winter with strong winds and local monthly average temperatures well below freezing point. The abundant rainfall creates the conditions for water production in the Elan Valley, from where the metropolitan area of Birmingham gets its drinking water. The framework conditions of the dam ensemble, however, have not created a water sports landscape as is known from comparable German systems.
language
In Wales, as part of Great Britain, of course English is spoken everywhere as a lingua franca. With the rebirth of the Celtic consciousness, the original Celtic language has also returned to public perception. The latest figures show that around 720,000 people around the world speak Welsh today. Approximately 320,000 people (approximately 12% of the Welsh population) are fluent in the language. Another 150,000 live in England with language skills Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 Act Welsh de jure was given the status of the only official language in the whole of the United Kingdom. "Britton" is considered to be the original source of Welsh, which developed together with Breton (France), Cornish (British county of Cornwall) and Kumbrian. Cumbrian is considered practically extinct. Native speakers of this language are currently no longer known. The exonymous name "Welsh" was coined by the Anglo-Saxons in Great Britain and only contains the meaning of "foreign language". The autochthonous name for the language is "Cymraeg", and for the country "Cymru". Travelers will notice the transition from the English counties to Wales mainly through signs in both official languages with "Croeso i Cymru" above the English translation " Welcome to Wales "is appropriate. The language owes much of its survival to a highly developed choral culture, which in the United Kingdom is considered typical of Wales. Today "Cymraeg" is taught in Welsh schools and is also offered in some UK schools outside Wales. As a result, the number of "native speakers" is increasing significantly in the next generation.
getting there
mobility
Tourist Attractions
Overall, Wales is an area of selected scenic attractiveness, not least because of the climatically pronounced, glacial, barren landscape forms. The country is often mentioned in the same breath as Scotland, although the largely treeless low mountain range, populated by numerous sheep, is reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. Tourist attractions are dense across Wales.
A particularly interesting coastal town is Aberystwyth, with a number of historical monuments in the city area. Particularly striking is the extensive, rocky tidal zone in front of the city's waterfront, the streets of which are oriented towards the coastline. The defining characteristics of the city are science (university), culture (Welsh National Library) and tourism. Particular sights are "The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway", a cog railway that leads to a lookout point from which the Irish opposite coast becomes visible when the weather is clear ; a Vale of Rheidol steam railway; the Camera Obscura on Constitution Hill and the cycle route of the "Ysthwyth Trail". Also spectacular is "Devil's Bridge", not far from the city in the catchment area of the "River Rheidol", near an impressive waterfall over a height of almost 100 meters. Three separate bridges span the gorge of the Mynach river just before it flows into the Reidol. The oldest of the bridges dates from the 11th century and served as the basis for the scaffolding in the subsequent bridges. A steep staircase ("Jacob's Ladder") leads to the lowest and oldest bridge.
Machynlleth is considered the secret capital of Wales, with a population of just over 2000 people. The town was the seat of the Welsh Parliament of Owain Glyndwr in 1404. The main attraction is the Center for Alternative Technology.
Llandrindod Wells, the capital of Powys, is a traditional spa with facilities, elegant parks and gardens, and a small but worth seeing bicycle museum. The exceptionally colorful Art Deco architecture is related to the Art Nouveau of German cities and comes largely from the Victorian heyday of the spa, which is also reflected in the name reference to the healing springs.
WelshpoolCardiganWelshpoolRhayadersHay-on-WyeNewtownElan Village
activities
kitchen
nightlife
security
climate
literature
Web links
- Wales Tourist Board www.visitwales.de
