Carmarthen

Carmarthen ( Welsh Caerfyrddin ) is the capital of the county of Carmarthenshire , Wales . It is located on the right bank of the River Towy 13 km north of its confluence with Carmarthen Bay and has a population of 20,000.

history

Maridunum Demetarum, a Roman amphitheater in Carmarthen

Statue of General William Nott in Nott Square

The history of Carmarthen dates back to when Britain was a Roman province. At that time it was called Maridunum . Carmarthen is possibly the oldest city in Wales, mentioned by Ptolemy and in the Itinerarium Antonini . The Roman fortress can still be visited today and probably dates from the years 75–77. Not far from the fort is Maridunum Demetarum , one of the seven amphitheaters in Great Britain, it was excavated in 1968. The arena measures 46 by 27 meters, the entire theater is 92 meters long and 67 meters wide.

Because of the strategic importance of Carmarthen, the Anglo- Normans built a castle around 1094 . After the system was destroyed in 1215, a new construction including a fortified city wall took place in 1223. Carmarthen may have been the first place in Wales in the Middle Ages to be equipped with such a defensive system. However, Owain Glyndŵr took the city in 1405.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Carmarthen was dominated by agriculture, especially arable farming, and the wool trade. In the middle of the 18th century, the iron and coal trade gained in importance.

Carmarthen celebrities

• Joe Allen (born 1990), soccer player
• Ella Barnwell (* 2001), cyclist
• Yanto Barker (* 1980), racing cyclist
• Terry Griffith , snooker player
• Deiniol Jones (born 1977), rugby player
• Jamie Lewis (born 1991), darts player
• Manon Lloyd (* 1996), cyclist
• Merlin , mythical wizard
• Roger Moss , sculptor
• John Nash (1752-1835), architect
• Nigel Owens (born 1971), rugby referee
• Dwayne Peel (born 1981), rugby player
• Mike Phillips (born 1982), rugby player
• Jessica Roberts (* 1999), cyclist
• Matthew Stevens (born 1977), snooker player
• Iwan Rheon (* 1985), actor and musician
• John Weathers (born 1947), rock musician
• Dewi Rhys Williams , actor
• Eirian Williams (born 1955), snooker referee

politics

The city is one of the strongholds of the Plaid Cymru (Welsh Party of Wales ), a center-left party that describes itself as socialist and Welsh nationalist. In Carmarthen in 1966 she won the first seat in the House of Commons. In the seventeen-member city council, 9 seats are held by Plaid Cymru, 6 by Labor and 2 by Independents. The mayor is Richard Evans (Labor).

Town twinning

Carmarthen has partnerships with Lesneven (France), Santa Marinelle (Italy) and As Pontes (Spain).

Web links

• The city's homepage (English / Welsh)
• City side on the BBC (English).

Coordinates: 51 ° 51 ′  N , 4 ° 19 ′  W