Cwmbrân, Great Britain (Wales)

On 3rd October 1979, 14 years after Ste. Menehould, Cwmbran became the second twin town of Bruchsal. It is a relatively young town in South East Wales, just 20 kilometres away from Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

With about 55,000 inhabitants, Cwmbran is Bruchsal’s largest twin town, but also the most distant one (about 1,200 km when driving by car via Belgium and France up to the Channel Coast to Calais). The passage to Dover by ferry (approx. 1½ hours) is most interesting but, since 1994, the Euro-Tunnel under the English Channel may be used as an alternative to using the Ferry. Flights to London Heathrow and Bristol (just under an hour’s drive from Cwmbran by car) are available from Frankfurt and Stuttgart and flights from Karlsruhe (Baden) to London Stansted are also possible.

Driving from Dover or the Euro-Tunnel, you travel towards South Wales, crossing the ‘new’ Severn Bridge (the national border between England and Wales), Just half an hour later you will reach Cwmbran.

Cwmbran has an excellent, modern town centre with beautiful, covered pedestrian zones, with free car parking. Many major national shops are located in the town centre. The town also has very good road and public transport links with Cardiff and Bristol, together with frequent train and coach services to Bath, London and the rest of the UK.

This part of South East Wales has a rich and fascinating history and heritage with numerous, magnificently located castles such as Raglan and Caerphilly (the second largest in Europe), as well as an amazing industrial ‘heritage’ from the Industrial Revolution. The nearby town of Blaenafon has been granted world heritage status and Big Pit Mining Museum is a free ‘working’ museum where visitors can descend 300 metres under ground (free of charge). Newport’s famous Transporter Bridge is also well worth a visit. A little further afield is Cardiff, Wales’ capital city, with its Cardiff Bay Development, as well as a huge range of city centre shops and cafes. Bath, the world-renowned Georgian City is just over an hour away by car. London is just under two hours away by train, coach or car.

Furhter information: www.Cwmbran.gov.uk