The foundation stones were laid by King George V & Queen Mary in 1911 The library was opened by the Her Majesty the Queen in 1937.
Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru - The National Library of Wales, is the national legal deposit library of Wales, located in a very impressive building set on a hillside overlooking Aberystwyth.
The National library is one of the great librarys of the World.
Welsh is its main medium of communication. However, it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.
The foundation stones were laid by King George V & Queen Mary in 1911 The library was opened by the Her Majesty the Queen in 1937.
"Wales' largest library is where many of the most important Welsh publications are kept, and these include the first book to be printed in Welsh and The Black Book of Carmarthen. As well as books and other printed publications, there are over a million maps, along with photographs, paintings and sound and video recordings.
There are also permanent exhibitions which provide insights into Welsh heitage and culture, plus a range of temporary exhibitions in the various exhibition spaces which include both touring exhibitions by Welsh artists and photographers and exhibitions of some of the Library's own collections.
The 'visitor experience' known as Drwm has further displays and a cinema and presentation area with regular events." Text Source: (
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"In 1873, a committee was set up to collect Welsh material and house it at the University College, Aberystwyth. In 1905, the government promised money in its Budget, and the Privy Council appointed a committee to decide on the location of the two institutions. Aberystwyth was selected as the location of the library after a bitter fight with Cardiff, partly because a collection was already available in the College. Sir John Williams, physician and book collector, had also said he would present his collection to the Library if it were established in Aberystwyth; he also eventually gave £20,000 to build and establish the library. Cardiff was eventually selected as the location of the National Museum of Wales. The Library and Museum were established by Royal Charter on 19 March 1907.
Designed by architect Sidney Greenslade who won the competition to design the building in 1909, the building at Grogythan, off Penglais Hill, was first occupied in 1916. The central block, or corps de logis, was added by Charles Holden to a modified version of Greenslade's design. In 1996, a large, new storage building was opened, and in recent years many changes have been made to the front part of the building. A new Royal Charter was granted in 2006." Source: (
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Hours of Operation:
Open Mondays to Saturdays, except certain holidays.
Monday - Friday 9:30 - 18:00
Saturday 9:30 - 17:00
Admission free.