Llangollen sits in a steep-sided valley of the River Dee, further south than Denbigh's other neighbours but well within reach for a longer day out. The town has drawn visitors since the 18th century, when the Romantic movement brought artists and writers to sketch its ruined castle and riverside scenery, and its fortunes were transformed again when the Llangollen Canal arrived, bringing coal in and carrying slate and lime out more cheaply than ever before.
The engineering marvel that put Llangollen on the world stage is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, built by Thomas Telford and William Jessop to carry the canal across the Dee valley on a cast-iron trough 39 metres above the river. Begun in 1795 and opened in 1805, it remains Britain's longest and the world's highest canal aqueduct, and UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 2009, describing it as 'a masterpiece of creative genius'.
Since 1947, Llangollen has also hosted the International Musical Eisteddfod every July, founded in the aftermath of the Second World War with the explicit aim of promoting peace through performance. The first festival drew 40 groups from 14 countries; today it attracts several thousand performers from around fifty countries, playing to audiences of more than 50,000 over six days, and has featured performers as celebrated as Luciano Pavarotti, James Galway, Nigel Kennedy, Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins.
Llangollen grew up around its famous bridge over the River Dee, regarded since the 16th century as one of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales, and the town has long punched above its weight as a centre for culture and tourism in North East Wales. It is perhaps best known today for the International Musical Eisteddfod, held every July since 1947, which draws performers and visitors from dozens of countries to compete and perform in a festival founded in the aftermath of the Second World War to promote peace through music.
The town is also the gateway to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Llangollen Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site carrying the canal across the Dee valley on a spectacular cast-iron trough, and to the dramatic ruins of Castell Dinas Brân on the hilltop above the town. Between the canal, the steam railway, the eisteddfod and the surrounding Berwyn hills, Llangollen remains one of the most visited towns in this part of Wales.