The Josef Herman Art Foundation has created this heritage trail as a celebration of the life and work of Jewish artist and refugee Josef Herman, who found sanctuary in Ystradgynlais after fleeing Warsaw during the second world war. Herman is renowned as an artist that documented everyday life for the miners, farmers and metal workers that lived here. His time in Ystradgynlais inspired and left a lasting legacy on the people and culture of this small mining community nestled in the Swansea Valley. Through this trail we are sharing our collection of artwork and stories to help inform post-industrial generations of this rich heritage.

The route begins at the Miners Welfare Hall which was at the centre of community life at the time, and which is now home to the Foundation and a collection of more than 150 of Herman’s original works. The trail then weaves its way around the town, taking in the places where Herman lived and worked and introducing the people and places that inspired his art, not just during the years that he called Ystradgynlais home, but throughout his long, illustrious career.