Dinorwig Quarry, near Llanberis, Gwynedd

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Parent & Teacher Guidance
UNESCO World Heritage Site

What do the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, Stonehenge in Wiltshire and the slate area of Gwynedd have in common? Well, they have all won UNESCO World Heritage site status. The slate landscape of Gwynedd is the latest site to be awarded this status.  This is the fourth World Heritage Site in Wales to be added to the UNESCO list. The other three are Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape and the Castle of Edward I. There are around 900 places around the world.  

Within the Slate landscape of Gwynedd the specific areas given this recognition are the Ogwen Valley, the Nantlle Valley, Dinorwig, Cwm Pennant, Ffestiniog and Abergynolwyn. These areas are renowned across the world for providing slate. First Minister Mark Drakeford said "UNESCO recognition will help preserve the legacy and history of slate area communities for generations to come". 

The application to gain this status has been going on for 12 years. The slate producing area of Gwynedd has magnificent  landscapes that mean something to the whole of humanity. At its peak over 3,000 people worked at Dinorwig Quarry on the slopes of Elidir Fawr in the Peris Valley which was once one of the largest slate quarries in the world.  

What better way to honour an area with key global value?  

Glossary
UNESCO
World heritage sites are locations in the world that have a key global value to humanity.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
This is Thomas Telford's famous aqueduct which was added to the UNESCO list in 2009.
Mark Drakeford
Mark Drakeford was born and brought up in Carmarthenshire. He became First Minister on 13th of December 2018.
Dinorwig Quarry
With the Penrhyn Quarry, Dinorwig Quarry was one of the two largest quarries in Wales. At one time these two were the largest quarries in the world.
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