Blaenavon (WelshWelsh (' or ', , ), is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales (Cymru), in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley, in Argentine Patagonia. There are also speakers of Welsh throughout the world, most notably in the rest of Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Due to the increasing use of the English language the numbers of Welsh speakers had been declining for decades. However, following a number ...Welsh: Blaenafon) is a townA town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. Generally, a "town" is thought of as larger than a village but smaller than a "city." The words "city" and "village" came into English from Latin via French. "Town" and "borough" (also "burrow," "burgh," "bury," etc.) are of native Germanic origin, from Old English burg, a fortified settlement, and tūn, an enclosed piece of ...town and World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO ...World Heritage Site in southern WalesWales (;Also spelled "Gymru" or "Nghymru" or "Chymru" in certain contexts, as Welsh is a language with initial mutations— see Welsh morphology. pronounced IPA: , approximately KUM-ree) is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. Wales is located in the south-west of Great Britain and is bordered by England ...Wales, lying at the source of the Afon LlwydAfon Llwyd is a small river in South Wales which flows from its source north of Blaenavon, through Abersychan, Pontypool and Cwmbran before flowing into the River Usk at Caerleon, which subsequently flows into the Bristol Channel in Newport. The name is Welsh, meaning "Grey River".Afon Llwyd. The town lies high on a hillside and has a population of 6,349 people.

Blaenavon grew around an ironworksAn ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the plural of ironworks is ironworks. An integrated ironworks in the 19th century usually included one or more blast furnaces and a number of puddling furnaces and/or a foundry with or without other kinds of ironworks.ironworks opened in 1788}} Year 1788 (MDCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar).1788, part of which is now a museumA museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education, enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment".museum. The steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.02% and 1.7 or 2.04% by weight (C:1000–10,8.67Fe), depending on grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese and tungsten. Carbon and other elements act as a hardening agent, preventing ...steel-making and coal miningCoal mining is the extraction or removing of coal from the earth for use as fuel. A coal mine and its accompanying structures are collectively known as a colliery. For the world history see History of coal mining. See also world coal reserves and major coal exporters.coal mining industries followed, boosting the town's population to over 20,000 at one time, but since the ironworks closed in 1900Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday "Calendar in year 1900 (Russia)" (Julian on Saturday), webpage: Julian-1900 (Russia used the Julian calendar until 1919). of the Julian calendar. ...1900 and the coal mine in 1980Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar).1980, the population has declined, and now consists mostly of older citizens.

Attempts have recently been made to turn the town's image around by introducing it as Wales's second "book townA book town is a small village with a large number of second-hand or antiquarian book shops. These villages attract bibliophiliac tourists to the book shops, and with literary festivals. The first book town was Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Its example was followed by numerous villages, first in Europe, and then across the world. Some of the book towns are organised in the International Organisation of Book Towns.book town" (the first being Hay-on-WyeHay-on-Wye ( or Y Gelli), often described as "the town of books", is a small market town in Powys, Wales. It is on the River Wye, which is the natural and administrative border with England, and lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park. Hay has approximately 1,900 inhabitants. The nearest city is Hereford, some 35 km (22 miles) to the east. Hay-on-Wye is the UK's mecca for bibliophiles, boasting "thirty major bookshops" (according to its Tourist Information Bureau). ...Hay-on-Wye). However after over a year of attempts to attract visitors the project seems not to have succeeded. This can be attributed to a combination of the town's remote location and its local reputation as a very undesirable destination. This is an unfair, but true opinion of the town, as investment and local interest have completely transformed the town's main thoroughfare (Broad Street) and the book shops stock good quality and excellent value books. There are many thriving community groups within the town, including Future Blaenavon, which has helped to create a community garden at the bottom of the town.

Attractions in the town include the Big Pit Mining MuseumBig Pit (Welsh: Pwll Mawr) was a coal mine opened in 1880, which today is preserved for visitors under the auspices of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales as the National Mining Museum of Wales Big Pit is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. The museum is located close ...Big Pit Mining Museum (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial HeritageThe European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) is a network of the most important Industrial Heritage sites in Europe. The aim of the project is to create interest for the common European Heritage of the Industrialization and its remains. ERIH also wants to promote regions, towns and sites showing the industrial history and market them as visitor attractions in the leisure and tourism industry.European Route of Industrial Heritage), Blaenavon Iron Works, the Pontypool and Blaenavon RailwayThe Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, a volunteer-run preserved railway, was first formed in the 1980s, running trains between a platform in a former colliery furnace site, up a steep but short section of railway line to a halt platform opposite the Whistle Stop public house (famed for its collection of miner's lamps). The railway runs every weekend between spring and September. There are also a selection of special weekends through the spring and summer, as well as Santa Specials nearing Christmas.Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, and the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir.

Blaenavon is twinnedTown twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. In Europe, such pairs of towns are known as twin towns, friendship towns or partner towns; in North America and Australasia, the term sister cities is used for the same concept; and brother cities is the term in the former Soviet bloc. Sister cities often (though by ...twinned with Coutras, FranceFrance (French: ), officially the French Republic (, ), is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in other continents.For more information, see :Category:French overseas departments, territories and collectivities. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan ...France.