Quimper is in Brittany’s far west and is the capital of Finistère. It lies in a pretty valley at the junction (kemper in Breton) of two rivers, the Steir and the Odet.
= Population: 67 274
T Michelin Map: 308 G 6-7
i Info: pl. de la Résistance. t02 98 53 04 05. www.quimper-tourisme.com.
Ñ Location: 72km/45mi SE of Brest, and 69km/43mi NW of Lorient.
w Don’t Miss: The Old Town.
The town was first of all a Gaulish foundation, sited on the north bank of the Odet estuary. Towards the end of the 5C BC, Celts sailed over from Britain (hence the area’s name of Cornouaille, i.e. Cornwall) and drove out the original inhabitants. This was the era of the legendary King Gradlon and of the fabulous city of Ys which is supposed to have sunk beneath the waves of Douarnenez Bay. The town has a long tradition of making faïence (fine earthenware), and is a centre of Breton folk art.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Corentin, one of the figures responsible for founding Brittany after the fall of the Roman Empire. Much of the cathedral is Gothic, although the magnificent twin spires were added only in the 19th century. Much of the interior decoration – furnishings, reliquaries and statues – was stripped away during the Revolution and the Reign of Terror (1793), and while the lime-washed interior that remains may not suit some tastes, it does leave the cathedral with a bright and appealing atmosphere. Unusual, perhaps, the central nave and choir are not in a straight line.
Le Vieux Quimpera
The medieval town lies between the cathedral and the Odet and its tributary, the Steyr. There are fine old houses with granite ground floors and timber-framed projecting upper storeys.
40 pl. St-Corentin. j>Open daily except Tue 10am–noon, 2–6pm (Jul–Aug daily 10am–7pm). >Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 and 11 Nov and 25 Dec. |P4.50. t02 98 95 45 20. www.musee-beauxarts.quimper.fr.
This Fine Arts Museum contains a collection of paintings representing European painting from the 14C to the present. The museum has its own unique atmosphere, largely due to the mixing of natural and artificial lighting, in which it is possible to view the works in – quite literally – a new light.
On the ground floor, two rooms are devoted to 19C Breton painting: A Marriage in Brittany by Leleux; A Street in Morlaix by Noël; Potato Harvest by Simon; Widow on Sein Island by Renouf; Flight of King Gradlon by Luminais; and Fouesnant Rebels by Girardet.
One room is devoted to Max Jacob (1876–1944), who was born and grew up in Quimper. His life and work are evoked through literature, memorabilia, drawings, gouaches, and in particular a series of portraits signed by his friends Picasso, Cocteau and others.
Faïenceries de Quimper HBHenriot
r. Haute. zGuided tours (French and English) Mon-Fri at 10.30am and 2.45pm. j |P5. t02 98 90 09 36. www.hb-henriot.com.
The 300-year-old faïence workshops were bought in 1984 by Paul Janssens, an American citizen of Dutch origin. Earthenware is still entirely decorated by hand with traditional motifs such as Breton peasants in traditional dress, birds, roosters and plants.
A tour of the workshops enables visitors to discover in turn the various manufacturing stages, from the lump of clay to the firing process.
A few concessions have been made to modern practices: the clay mixture is no longer prepared in house and the ovens are electrically heated. There is a shop on site.
Musée Départemental Bretona
1 r. de Roi Gradion; >Open Jun–Sept daily 9am–6pm; Oct–May Tue–Sat, 9am–noon, 2–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; >Closed Easter Mon, 1 and 8 May, 25 Dec. |P4. (no charge Sun Jan–May, Oct–Dec). t02 98 95 21 60. http://museedepartementalbreton.fr.
The museum, housed in the former palace of the Bishops of Cornwall, is the most remarkable monument after the Cathedral of Quimper, and presents a synthesis of the archaeology, folk and decorative arts of Finistère. It is an excellent introduction to the discovery of the département.
Although the area today is limited to the coast and immediate hinterland west of its capital Quimper, Cornouaille was once the Duchy of medieval Brittany, stretching as far north as Morlaix. Brittany’s “Cornwall” juts out into the Atlantic just like its counterpart across the Channel.
The spectacular coastline with its two peninsulas, Presqu’île de Penmarcha and Cap Sizunaa, culminates in the breathtaking Pointe du Razaaa.
Ñ E of Douarnenez and NE of Quimper.
i pl. de la Mairie, 29180 Locronan. t02 98 91 70 14. www.locronan.org. õYou must park outside the village.
Locronan is firmly rooted in times past. This used to be a major centre for woven linen, of the type required for sails by the French, Spanish and English navies. As a result, the centre of the village is endowed with splendid examples of Breton architecture that mostly date to the 18C, and was largely built at the behest of wealthy sail merchants. In the 19C, competition from Vitré and Rennes, coupled with the general economic downturn of the period, brought ruin and stagnation for Locronan. Just how wealthy a place this must have been is self-evident if you study the quality of the opulent architecture, especially in the place de l’Église.
It takes a while to register, but there is something not quite right about Locronan. And then you notice that there are no spaghetti tangles of telephone cables festooned from building to building, no television aerials or satellite dishes, no road markings, no permanent road signs; in fact, nothing that visually places the setting in the 21C.
Museum
On the Châteaulin road. >Open Jul–Aug, 10am–1pm, 2–7pm, Sun and holidays 2–6pm; rest of the year Mon–Fri 10am–noon, 2–6pm. |P2. t02 98 91 70 14.
The museum houses Quimper faience, sandstone objects, local costumes, exhibits relating to the Troménies and to ancient crafts, pictures and engravings by contemporary artists of Locronan and the surrounding area.
The Petite Troménie consists of a procession that makes its way to the top of the hill, repeating the walk that St-Ronan, a 5C Irish saint, according to tradition, took every day, fasting and barefooted. The Grande Troménieaa takes place every sixth year on the second and third Sundays in July (next in 2013). Carrying banners, the pilgrims go around the hill (12km/7.5mi), stopping at 12 stations.
At the different stations each parish exhibits its saints and reliquaries. The circuit follows the boundary of the former Benedictine priory – built on the site of the sacred forest or “Nemeton”, which served as a natural shrine – founded in the 11C, which was a place of retreat. Hence the name of the pardon Tro Minihy or Tour of the Retreat, gallicised as Troménie.
Montagne de Locronana
Ñ 2km/1.2mi E of Locronan.
>Open only during the Troménies held every year on the 2nd Sun in July, and the Grandes Troménies held every six years from the 1st to the 2nd Sun in July.
From the top (289m), crowned by a chapel (note the stained-glass windows by Bazaine), you will see a fine panoramaa of Douarnenez Bay. On the left are Douarnenez and the Pointe du Leydé; on the right Cap de la Chèvre, the Presqu’île de Crozon, Ménez-Hom and the Monts d’Arrée.
Ste-Anne-la-Palud
Ñ 8km/5mi NW of Locronan. Leave Locronan by D 63 to Crozon. After Plonévez-Porzay, turn left.
>Open Easter–1 Nov daily 9am–8pm; rest of the year Sun only.
The 19C chapel contains a much-venerated painted granite statue of St Anne dating from 1548. The pardon on the last Sunday in August, one of the finest and most picturesque in Brittany, attracts thousands. On the Saturday at 9pm the torchlit procession progresses along the dune above the chapel.
Ñ The point is at the farthest tip of Brittany’s Cornouaille peninsula, about 51km/32mi W of Quimper.
Raz Point is one of France’s most spectacular coastal landscapes. Its jagged cliffs, battered by the waves and seamed with caves, rise to over 70m/220ft.
The viewaa extends over the fearsome Raz de Sein with its multitude of reefs and rocky islands (on the outermost of which is sited the lighthouse, Phare de la Vieille). The outline of the Île de Sein can be seen on the horizon. To the north lies the headland, Pointe du Van, perhaps less impressive, but having the distinct advantage of being off the tourists’ beaten track.
Ñ The town is S of Quimper, in western Brittany.
iquai d’Aiguillon. t02 98 97 0144. www.tourismeconcarneau.fr.
The growth of Concarneau is based on its importance as a fishing port. Trawlers and cargo-boats moor in the inner harbour up the estuary of the Moros, while the outer harbour is lively with pleasure craft. There are many vegetable and fish canneries and plenty of bustle as the catch is sold in the early morning at the “criée” (fish auction market).
Ville close (Walled Town)aa
On its islet in the bay, this was one of the strongholds of the ancient county of Cornouaille; as at Dinan and Guérande, its walls proclaim the determination of the citizens to maintain their independence, particularly in times of trouble (as during the War of the Breton Succession in 1341). The English nevertheless seized the place in 1342, and were thrown out only by Du Guesclin in 1373.
The granite ramparts (waccess to the ramparts is prohibited if weather conditions are not favourable), with their typically Breton corbelled machicolations, were started at the beginning of the 14C and completed at the end of the 15C.
They were improved by Vauban at the end of the 17C at a time when England once more posed a threat to these coasts; he lowered the height of the towers and built gun emplacements into them.
At the heart of the walled town, rue Vauban and rue St-Guénolé are a demonstration of how medieval market places arose more or less spontaneously through a simple widening of the street.
A Fishing Museum, Musée de la Pêchea (3 r. Vauban; >open Feb–Mar 10am–noon, 2–6pm; Apr–Jun, Sept–Oct 10am–6pm; Jul–Aug 9.30am–8pm; >closed rest of year; |P6.50, child P4; t02 98 97 10 20; www.musee-peche.fr), is nearby.
The modern city of Lorient boasts proudly of being the site of five ports: the fishing port of Keroman; a military port, with dockyard and submarine base (capacity for 30 submarines); a passenger port, with ships crossing the roadstead and sailing to the Île de Groix; the Kergroise commercial port, which specialises in the importing of animal foodstuffs; and the Kernevel pleasure boat harbour, with a wet dock located in the centre of the city: it is the starting point for transatlantic competition. An annual Interceltic Festival (Festival Interceltique, Tsee Calendar of Events) is held in Lorient.
= Population: 59 830
T Michelin Map: Local map 308 KB - Morbihan (56).
i Info: 6 quai de Rohan, 56100 Lorient. t02 97 84 78 00. www.lorient-tourisme.fr.
Ñ Location: 69km/43mi SW of Brest, and 56km/35mi W of Vannes.
/ Kids: La Thalassa fishing trawler and exhibition; Pont-Scorff Zoo.
> Timing: Use the Batobus: very practical and pleasant “boat-buses” with six itineraries. But a few hours wandering on foot won’t go amiss.
õ Parking: A modern town, there are plenty of car parks – the first half-hour is free in blue zones.
The India Company – After the first India Company, founded by Richelieu at Port-Louis, failed, Colbert revived the project in 1664 at Le Havre. But as the Company’s ships were too easily captured in the Channel by the British, it was decided to move its headquarters to the Atlantic coast. The choice fell on “vague and vain” plots of land located on the right bank of the Scorff. Soon afterwards, what was to be known as the “Compound of the India Company” was born. Since all maritime activities were focused on India and China, the installations built on that site bore the name l’Orient (French for the East). In those days, the arrogant motto of the India Company – Florebo quocumque ferar (I shall prosper wherever I go) – was fully justified by the flourishing trade which it exercised. But a new naval war loomed ahead, so Seignelay turned the “Compound” into a royal dockyard patronised by the most famous privateers (Beauchêne, Duguay-Trouin).
In the 18C, under the stimulus of the well-known Scots financier Law, business grew rapidly; 60 years after its foundation, the town already had 18 000 inhabitants. The loss of India brought the Company to ruin, and in 1770 the State took over the port and its equipment.
Napoleon turned it into a naval base.
During WWII, Lorient was occupied by the Germans on 25 June 1940. From 27 September 1940 the city was subjected to bombardments, which intensified as the war raged on, culminating in a hugely destructive offensive in August 1944. The fighting between the entrenched German garrison and the Americans and locally based Free French Forces, which encircled the Lorient “pocket”, devastated the surrounding area.
When the townspeople returned on 8 May 1945, all that greeted them was a scene of utter desolation.
Ancien Arsenal
Until 2000, the naval dockyard was located in the former India Company’s area; four docks were used for the repair of warships. Abandoned by the navy, the area is being modernised. The Breton television channel Breizh has located its headquarters along quai du Péristyle.
Better known to the locals as the church of St-Louis, it stands in place Alsace-Lorraine, itself a successful example of modern town planning.
The church is built in reinforced concrete and has very plain lines. It is square with a flattened cupola roof and a square tower flanking the façade. The beauty of the church lies in its interiora.
Little panes of yellow and clear glass reflect light into the building from the top of the rotunda, and the bays in the lower section consist of brightly coloured splintered glass.
Enclos du Port de Lorient
Enter through the “Porte Gabriel”. Information on tours available from the tourist office: t02 97 84 78 00. www.lorient-tourisme.fr.
A tour of the dockyards recalls the heyday of the India Company: the Hôtel des Ventes, built by Gabriel in 1740, has been entirely restored in the original style. The Tour de la Découverte (1737), flanked by the Admirality mills (1677), once served as a watchtower. Climb the 225 steps to enjoy the superb viewa of the roadstead.
/ La Thalassa
quai de Rohan. >Open Apr Mon–Fri 9.30am–12.30pm, 2–6pm, Sat–Sun 2–6pm; May–Jun Tue–Fri 9.30am–12.30pm, 2–6pm; Jul–Aug daily 10am–7pm; Sept Tue–Fri 9.30am–12.30pm, 2–6pm, Sat–Mon 2-6pm; Oct Mon–Fri 9.30am–12.30pm, 2–6pm, Sat–Sun 2-6pm. >Closed rest of year. |P7 (children P5.50). t02 97 21 10 14.
After sailing the seas of the world (nearly 38 times round the globe), this ship, launched in 1960 by Ifremer, is enjoying well-deserved retirement in Lorient. A tour of the three decks gives visitors a good idea of life on board, techniques of navigation, trawler fishing and oceanographic research. The tour continues on land with an exhibition devoted to the fishing industry in Lorient.
Port de Pêche de Keroman
Partly reclaimed from the sea, the port of Keroman is the only French harbour designed and equipped for commercial fishing; it is the leading port in France for the value and variety of fish landed. It has two basins set at right angles: the Grand Bassin and the Bassin Long (totalling 1 850m/1.1mi of docks). The Grand Bassin is sheltered by a jetty used by cargo steamers and trawlers. The basin has two other quays, one with a refrigerating and cold-storage plant for the trawlers and fish dealers; and the other, as well as the quay at the east end of the Bassin Long, where the trawlers unload their catch. In front of the quays is the 600m/655yd-long market hall (criée) where auctions are held, and, close behind it, the fish dealers’ warehouses which open onto the car park, where lorries destined for the rest of France are loaded. There is also a slipway with six bays where trawlers can be dry-docked or repaired.
The port of Keroman sends out ships for all kinds of fishing throughout the year. The largest vessels go to sea for a fortnight, and carry their own ice-making equipment (which can make up to 400t a day) to the fishing grounds.
Base de Sous-marins Keromana
zGuided tours (1hr30min): all year, Sun, 3pm; school holidays daily at 3pm. >Closed Jan. |P7.50. t02 97 02 23 29. www.lorient-tourisme.fr.
The submarine base is named in honour of a WWII maritime engineer who, by appearing to collaborate with the Germans, was able to keep abreast of activities on the base and inform Allies. When he was discovered, he was executed.
The three blocks were built in record time. The first two (1941) have slots for 13 submarines. The third (1943) has a reinforced concrete roof 7.5m/24.5ft thick. At the end of WWII, the French Navy took over the base for their Atlantic submarine operations, but have since abandoned it for this purpose. The last dry-dock operation took place in December 1996, and the Sirène, the last active submarine, left the base for the Toulon port in February 1997.
Frescoes on the vault,
Kernascléden church
© Florian Monheim/age fotostock
The Flore is the only ship remaining; it has no military purpose but is kept up for display between blocks one and two. The navy has progressively turned over the dockyards to the city of Lorient, and various projects for the use of the area are under way or being considered.
Larmor-Plagee
Ñ 6km/3.7mi S of Lorient by the D 29.
Looking out over the ocean, across from Port-Louis, Larmor-Plage has lovely, fine, sandy beaches much appreciated by the people of Lorient.
The parish church, built in the 12C, was remodelled until the 17C. The 15C porch, uncommonly situated on the north façade because of the prevailing winds, contains statues of the Apostles and above the door a 16C painted wood Christ in Fetters.
The old road from Larmor follows the coast fairly closely, passing many small seaside resorts. After Kerpape the drive affords extensive views of the coast of Finistère, beyond the cove of Le Pouldu and over to the Île de Groix.
In the foreground are the coastal inlets in which lie the little ports of Lomener, Perello Kerroch and Le Courégant and the large beach of Fort-Bloqué dominated by a fort (privately owned). Go through Guidel-Plages on the Laïta estuary. From Guidel make for the Pont de St-Maurice (6km/3.7mi there and back) over the Laïta. The viewa up the enclosed valley is magnificent.
Hennebont
Ñ 17km/10.5mi NE of Lorient. Route passes through Lanester.
Hennebont is a former fortified town on the steep banks of the River Blavet.
The 16C basilica, Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Paradis, has a big bell towera and is surmounted by a steeple 65m/216ft high. At the base of the tower is a fine Flamboyant porch ornamented with niches leading into the nave, which is lit up by a stained-glass window by Max Ingrand.
Ñ The village is about 34km/21mi N of the coastal town of Lorient.
The small village has a beautiful church with remarkable 15C frescoes. Built in granite between 1430 and 1455, the churchaa typifies the Breton version of Flamboyant Gothic. It has two porches on the south side (one of them with statues of the Apostlesa).
Inside there is a fine window at the east end. The frescoesaa are striking: the choir vault depicts 24 scenes from the Life of the Virgin.