f the original centre was destroyed by World War II
bombing on the 19th, 20th and 21 February 1941 (the 'Three Nights Blitz').
Within the city centre are the ruins of the castle, the Marina, the Glynn
Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre, the Environment
Centre, and the Market, which is the largest covered market in Wales. It backs
onto the Quadrant Shopping Centre which opened in 1978 and the adjoining St
David's Centre opened in 1982. Other notable modern buildings are the BT Tower
(formerly the GPO tower) built around 1970, Alexandra House opened in 1976,
County Hall opened in July 1982. Swansea Leisure Centre opened in 1977; it has
undergone extensive refurbishment which retained elements of the original
structure and re-opened in March 2008.
Swansea was granted city status in 1969, to
mark Prince Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales. The announcement was
made by the prince on 3 July 1969, during a tour of Wales. It obtained the
further right to have a lord mayor in 1982
