Page 202 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

200  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION

timber-framed houses and a
great castle; and an imperial
town, with straight avenues
arranged around Place
Aristide- Briand. This latter
district was laid out on the
orders of Napoleon, who
aimed to make Pontivy a base
from which to fight back
against the Chouans (see p52).
The Château des Rohan,
which was begun in 1479
by Jean II de Rohan, is a fine
Machicolated defences at the Château des Rohan in Pontivy example of military archi-
tecture. The seignorial living
p Baud E Cartopole Conservatoire de la quarters overlooking the
Carte Postale courtyard were remodelled in
Road map D3. 24 km (15 miles) north
of Auray via the D768. £ Auray. * 3 Avenue Jean Moulin, Baud. the 18th century. Exhibitions
4,930. n Place de L’Eglise, Plumeliau Tel (02) 97 51 15 14. Open Jun– and shows take place at the
(Apr–Oct). Tel (02) 97 08 04 07.( Sat. Sep: Mon–Sat pm; Oct–May: Tue– castle in summer.
∑ tourisme-baud-communaute.fr Sun pm. & The old town spreads out
around the castle. Of the old
The small town of Baud town walls, only la Porte de
overlooks the Evel valley. a Pontivy Carhaix survives. The finest
In the upper town is the Road map D3. * 14,500. houses here, built in the 16th
Chapelle Notre-Dame, £ @ Rue d’Iéna. and 17th centuries, are those
with an interesting n Duchesse Anne on Place du Martray and along
16th-century apse. (barge), Quai Niémen; Rue du Fil and Rue du Pont.
In the lower town (02) 97 25 04 10. A canal runs alongside
is the 16th-century ( Mon. _ Kan ar Pontivy, making the town
Fontaine Notre- Bol (Breton tales and an important intersection for
Dame-de-la-Clarté, songs, Apr). river traffic. The towpath also
which provides ∑ tourisme-pontivy offers the chance of walks
water for the old Fontaine Notre-Dame- de- communaute.com through beautiful countryside.
wash houses here. la-Clarté in Baud
Also of interest is This town, the + Château des Rohan
the Cartopole Conservatoire capital of the Rohan dynasty, Tel (02) 97 25 12 93. Open Closed
de la Carte Postale, with consists of two distinct parts: for renovation, phone ahead for
a collection of 20,000 the medi eval town, with current information. &
post cards depicting
local history.
Napoleon-ville
Environs In 1790, Pontivy sided with the Republicans and the town became
About 2 km (1 mile) south- the focus of the Chouan royalists’ war (see p52). In March 1793, 10,000
west of Baud, near a ruined recalcitrant peasants attacked the town. Napoleon chose Pontivy as a
castle, is a statue known base from which to lead a counter-attack. He also decided to canalize
as the Vénus de Quinipily. the Blavet river between Brest and Nantes and built a new town.
Standing about 2 m (7 ft) When the Napoleonic Empire collapsed, the project was still
high, the almost naked unfinished. An imperial district was, however, built during the reign
figure is inscribed with the of Napoleon III.
mysterious letters “LIT”.
Either Egyptian or Roman,
it may represent Isis, a
fertility goddess revered
by Roman legionaries.
Public footpaths traverse
the woods around Baud.
The Blavet valley also
contains a large number
of interesting calvaries,
fountains and chapels.
In summer, exhib itions of
contemporary art are held Mairie de Pontivy, built during the Napoleonic period
in many of the villages.
For hotels and restaurants see pp228–9 and pp241–3

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