Cadw Cymru

Bringing Welsh Heritage into the Digital Classroom

Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, wanted to connect young people across Wales with their national heritage in a way that felt exciting and relevant. With 460,000+ students already using the Hwb digital learning platform, Minecraft Education was the perfect vehicle.

The ambition was bold: recreate iconic Welsh castles in Minecraft, build educational quests around them, and deliver the entire experience bilingually in English and Welsh — a first for Minecraft Education worldwide.

Historical Accuracy Meets Interactive Play

We worked closely with Cadw's historians and the Hwb team to ensure every castle build was architecturally faithful while remaining engaging for young learners. Each site features a virtual tour guided by Taliesin, a bespoke NPC who introduces students to the history and significance of each location.

Six standalone quests per castle allow practitioners to choose activities that best fit their learning objectives — from designing stained glass windows at Conwy to investigating heraldry at Raglan.

What We Built

Castell Conwy

Edward I's masterpiece — one of Europe's finest 13th-century military fortresses with eight massive round towers, faithfully recreated block by block.

Explore Conwy →

Castell Coch

The Red Castle — a 19th-century Gothic Revival fairytale perched on medieval foundations, with distinctive red sandstone towers.

Explore Castell Coch →

Raglan Castle

Late medieval grandeur showing the transition from military stronghold to luxurious residence, with the Great Tower and state apartments.

Explore Raglan →

St Davids Bishop's Palace

Ecclesiastical power made tangible — the ruined palace adjacent to St Davids Cathedral with its distinctive arcaded parapet.

Explore St Davids →

Tretower Court & Castle

Medieval to Tudor evolution — from 13th-century castle keep to later medieval manor house, showing centuries of change.

Explore Tretower →

First Welsh-Language Minecraft

A downloadable Welsh Language Resource Pack transforms the entire Minecraft Education experience into a fully immersive Cymraeg adventure — a world first.

Explore the Castles

Reaching a Nation

Cadw Cymru launched with Castell Conwy and is expanding to include approximately 20 Cadw heritage sites across Wales. The project is distributed through Hwb, the Welsh Government's digital learning platform, giving every school in Wales free access.

Wales is one of the highest users of Minecraft Education in the world, and Cadw Cymru complements the goals of the Curriculum for Wales by promoting cross-curricular skills — integrating literacy, numeracy, and digital competence into history lessons.

14 supporting PDF resources — including practitioner guides, learning activity guides, and the Welsh Language Resource Pack — ensure teachers have everything they need.

In the Media