Roald Dahl Plass is a public space in Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales. It is named after Cardiff-born author Roald Dahl,[1] and is located on the coast along the south of the city centre. The square is home to the Senedd building housing the Senedd, the Welsh parliament, and the Wales Millennium Centre, a performing arts centre. The bowl-like shape of the space has made it a popular amphitheatre for hosting open-air concerts.[1]
Formerly named the Oval Basin and known as the Bowl, the area was one of the docks for a thriving coal port during the latter half the 19th century and much of the 20th century. Following World War II, the space entered a period of decay and dereliction until the 1980s, when the Cardiff Bay area was regenerated.[2]
The name acknowledges the writer's roots (both of Dahl's parents were from Norway) and the Norwegian seafarers' church which stands nearby. "Plass" is the Norwegian cognate of the English word "place"; in this context the word means square.
- ^ a b "Dahl name docks at Cardiff Bay". BBC News. 13 July 2002. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
- ^ "Roald Dahl Plass". BBC Wales. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2006.