TWIN TOWNS

BRIDGEND

USEFUL INFORMATION

Twinning with Villenave d'Ornon since 1994

Mayor: Steve Bletsoe
Population: 35,000 inhabitants
Area: 7 km2
Region: Wales
Distance to Villenave d'Ornon:

1,264 km

Link to city website: www.bridgendtowncouncil.gov.uk

Town Twinning Committee: www.bridgendtowntwinning.co.uk

DESCRIPTION

Bridgend is a medium-sized town located in South Wales (United Kingdom). The town, the administrative center of "Bridgend County Borough", the township of Bridgend, is located about twenty kilometers west of the capital, Cardiff, and east of Swansea, the second largest city in Wales.

Bridgend, in Welsh Pen-y-bont Ar Ogwr, takes its name from the river that runs through the town, Ogmore River, and the bridge that crosses it.

In the 19th century, the coal trade had a huge impact on the city. The Big Pit National Coal Museum, located near Bridgend, allows visitors to understand the importance of coal in the development of the region and the guides, who are former miners, share plenty of anecdotes.

Around Bridgend, the ruins of several castles are further vestiges of the city's past. Some say that the ruins of Ogmore Castle, located south of Bridgend, are still haunted by their former owner ...

Bridgend is an important town in the surrounding area as it is the administrative center of Bridgend County, which is the seat of the Bridgend Township Council, the County Borough Council.

Discover Bridgend and its surroundings:

HISTORY OF TWINNING

- 1993: First official contact in February and stay of a Welsh delegation in June in Villenave d'Ornon
- 1994: Official twinning ceremony in Bridgend and 2nd part of the official twinning ceremony in Villenave d'Ornon

GET TO BRIDGEND

Train

Bordeaux - Lille - London - Bridgend

Take the TGV from Gare St Jean de Bordeaux to Gare de Lille Flandres. Then go to Gare Lille Europe and take the Eurostar to London St. Pancras Station. Finally, go to Paddington Station by tube to catch a train to Bridgend.