Page 9 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

HOW T O USE THIS GUIDE  7

Major Towns
4An introduction covers the history,
character and geography of the town.
The main sights are described individually
and plotted on a Town Map.
Practical Information lists all the
138  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION BREST  139 information you need to visit every
y Brest R Église St-Louis VISITORS’ CHECKLIST sight such as address, telephone
Place St-Louis, Rue de Lyon.
The second-largest town in Brittany after Rennes, Brest has Open daily. 7 Practical Information
always played a leading military role. From the early days of Built between 1953 and 1958 on Road map: B2. * 156,200. number, open and closed dates.
the Roman Empire, legionnaires had seen the advantage of the site of the original church of n Place de la Liberté; (02) 98 44
24 96. ( Mon–Sat in Halles
St-Louis, which was destroyed in
establishing a secure base on the rocky spur here, overlooking 1944, this place of worship is the St-Martin. _ Fête Internationale
a river, the Penfeld, and perfectly protected by a peninsula, largest of all those built in France de la Mer et des Marins (mid-Jul;
the Presqu’île de Crozon. At the instigation of Richelieu, in the post-war period. every four years; next in 2016);
Colbert and Vauban, who throughout the 17th century The materials used – yellow Jeudis du Port (Jul–Aug); Festival
International du Film Court (Nov);
worked to transform this natural harbour into the kingdom’s stone from Logonna-Daoulas Astropolis electro music festival
foremost naval base, life in the city revolved around the naval and reinforced concrete – are a (late Jul/Aug).
clear departure from Breton
dockyard. Brest remained a major shipyard until World War II. architectural traditions, and they ∑ brestetvous.fr
After 165 bombing raids and 43 days of siege, the conflict produce an admirable effect. Transport
reduced Brest to rubble. The bold lines and restrained k Brest-Bretagne, 9 km
(5.5 miles) from the town centre.
decoration of the interior are no £ Place du 19e-R-I.
less impressive. @ Place du 19e-R-I.
The church has two notable La Mer Jaune, by Georges Lacombe, Musée des Beaux-Arts
features: stained-glass windows
on the west front, by Paul Bony, E Musée des Beaux-Arts There is a fine collection of
and a lectern in the shape of 24 Rue Traverse. Tel (02) 98 00 87 96. Baroque paintings on the first a Dutch artist who painted The Town Map shows all main
an eagle, one of the very few Open Tue–Sat, Sun pm. Closed Public floor, where Guerchin’s Judith siege and battle scenes for
pieces that were salvaged from holidays. & and Holophernes is the Louis XV. Although the artist
the original church. The original collection held by centrepiece, and an interesting took liberties with his depiction through roads as well as minor
this museum was quite literally assemblage of paintings by of the course of the Penfeld
P Quartier St-Martin annihilated by bombing in members of the Pont-Aven river, this painting is of great
The former outlying district 1941. However, thanks to the School (see p175) on the documentary value as it shows streets of interest to visitors. All
of St-Martin, which became efforts of the curator, the ground floor. Among the most in minute detail the work
part of Brest in 1861, is one collection has been rebuilt, notable works in the collection carried out by convicts and
of the few surviving quarters now consisting of around 300 are Vue du Port de Brest by carpenters in the naval
of the old town. It is also one works of art. Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe, dockyards of Brest in 1774. the sights are plotted, along with
French Navy training ships at the start of the “Challenge of Schooners” in Brest of the most convivial, judging
by the cafés and Irish pubs
Exploring Brest everywhere the cry of seagulls. here, which attract many Brest City Centre 8 km (5 miles) Aéroport the bus and train stations, parking,
A city of rigidly straight streets, Of special interest are the students from the Université 1 Rue de Siam St-Martin MORLAIX
regimented residential blocks opportunity to experience the de Bretagne Occidentale. 2 Église St-Louis Quartier
and lifeless districts, Brest, which undersea world at Océanopolis Retired people and idle 3 Musée des Beaux-Arts RUE DE GLASCOW St-Martin tourist offices and churches.
was entirely rebuilt after World (see p141) and, every four years, onlookers also gather here, to 4 Cours Dajot AVE FOCH R. DUPLEIX
War II, cannot be described as a the great international gathering stroll in the market or play boules 5 Quartier St-Martin R. DE KÉRABÉCAM RUE JEAN-JAURÈS St-Michel
prime tourist destination. Yet, of tall ships in the harbour. on Place Guérin, between the 6 Musée National de la Marine AVENUE GEORGES de Ville Hôtel
visitors who take the trouble to school and the Église St-Martin 7 Naval Dockyard DUQUESNE PL.DE LA RUE VICTOR-HUGO
explore it will be rewarded. P Rue de Siam (1875), two buildings that 8 Quartier de Recouvrance LIBERTÉ RU E BR ANDA
Although there are few old The name of this lively survived the wartime bombings. 9 Musée du Vieux Brest Église St-Louis DU GEN. D. LECLERC RUE Y VES - C O LL E T
buildings here, the town has a commercial thoroughfare RUE DE LYON Halles St-Louis PLACE CLÉMENCEAU Conservatoire
Botanique
pervading and stimulating naval commemorates the arrival in RUE MICHELET Gare
R UE DE S I AM
atmosphere. There are dry docks, Brest of ambassadors sent by Naval Penfeld BD JEAN MOULIN PLACE RUE COLBERT Routière BD GAMBET T A Gare SNCF
warships in the naval dockyard, the king of Siam to the court of Dockyard RUE LOUIS-PASTEUR DE LA TOUR Jardin Pr. J. Kennedy 19EME R.I. PLACE
D'AUVERGNE
vessels in the roadstead Louis XIV in 1686. RUE AV AMIRAL
(sheltered anchorage), where More prosaically, Rue de Quartier de RUE DU CHÂTEAU REVEILLÈRE Square
there is a viewing platform, and Siam is a perfect example of Pont de A. Juin PEN QU ER
Recouvrance
1950s town planning. It has a Recouvrance RUE EMILE ZOLA JEAN MACÉ Palais de RUE AMIRAL TROUDE
very uniform appearance. Here, RUE ADMIRAL LINOIS RUE D'AIGUILLON RUE VOLTAIRE Justice
Musée
RUE TRAVERSE
as in the entire district between Musée de la BD D ES FRANCAIS LIBRES RUE P. BROSSOLETTE AV SALAUN RUE DE L'ELARN Océanopolis
RUE MONGE des Beaux-Arts
C O U R S D A J O T
Tour Tanguy
the Pont de Recouvrance and R UE D EN VE R LE BRIS RUE AMIRAL NIELLY QUIMPER
the town hall, large four-storey Château AV FR. ROOSEVELT RUE JEAN MARIA QUAI A. CONSIDERE
residential buildings are QUAI DE LA DOUANE
arranged symmetrically on a
strictly rectilinear axis. However, de la Marine
Musée
the installation, in 1988, of Port de
seven black fountains by the 0 metres 200 Port du QUAI CDT. MALBERT Commerce
Rue de Siam, Brest’s lively commercial Hungarian sculptor Marta Pan The Neo-Romanesque-Gothic church in the 0 yards 200 Château
has given the Rue de Siam a
thoroughfare noticeable lift. Quartier St-Martin
For hotels and restaurants see pp226–7 and pp238–9 For keys to symbols see back flap
164  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION QUIMPER  165
. Covered Market
Street-by-Street: Quimper The market (Les Halles) VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
is open every day. It
Founded by Gauls on the site of the present Locmaria plays a prominent part Practical Information
district, downstream from the present city centre, the in the life of the city. * 67,250. n Place de la
town was later named Aquilonia (Town of Eagles) by the Résistance; (02) 98 53 04 05.
( Wed & Sat, Boulevard du
Romans. For centuries, it was then known as Quimper- Moulin au Duc. _ Salon Bande
Corentin, after Corentine, its first bishop. The city stands Dessinée et Disque (Feb), Festival
Street-by-Street Map at the confluence (kemper) of the Steir and the Odet de Cornouaille (third week in Jul),
Les Semaines Musicales de
rivers. Rampart walks, project ing towers and walls
Quimper (Aug), Les Jeudis de
Musée Departemental Breton
houses now alternate with later mansions and modern
5Towns or districts of survive in the old town, although old timber-framed Founded in 1846, the museum is Rue St-François l’Évêché (mid-Jun–mid-Sep).
∑ quimper-tourisme.com
housed in the bishops’ palace.
architecture. Recent building work has revealed
Transport
substantial remains of the medieval city.
k Aéroport de Quimper-
special interest to visitors A M I R A L D E K E R G U É N L E N O D E T In the 18th century, Cornouaille, Pluguffan.
£ Avenue de la Gare. @
crown judges lived in
this street, which is lined
B O U L E VA R D
with tall houses.
are shown in detailed 3D, Odet River
with photographs of the R U E D U R O I R U E D U PA R C O D E T
most important sights. R U E D U F R O U T G R A D LO N R U E D U PA R C
This gives a bird’s-eye view . Cathédrale St-Corentin P L AC E
S A I N T -
Built in the 13th and 14th CO R E N T I N
of towns or districts of centuries, on the site of a L A M A I R I E
R U E D E
Roman temple, the cathedral
was later sumptuously
special interest. renovated (see pp168–9). R U E R U E S A I N T F R A N ÇO I S RUE DE LA GRANDIÉRE QUAI DU STEIR Rue Kéréon
The finest and oldest timber-
framed houses in Quimper are in
Rue Kéreon (Shoemakers’ Street),
which has a medieval
K É R É O N
atmosphere.
R U E É L I E F R É R O N R U E D U G U É O D E T R U E A S TO R
lined with timber-
A suggested route for a walk R U E D E S B O U C H E R I E S R U E RUE DE LA HALLE Place Terre-au-Duc is
framed houses.
covers the most interesting PL. AU BEURRE R U E D U S A L L É AU D U C 0 metres 50
P L AC E
T E R R E
streets in the area. K É R É O N 0 yards 50
. Musée des R U E RUE DE LA HERSE
René Laënnec Beaux-Arts D E S P L AC E The Steir river
runs through the
This statue honours Built in 1872 by the Quimper G E N T I L S H O M M E S M É DA R D old quarters of Key
the inventor of the architect Joseph Bigot, it the city. Suggested route
stethoscope, who contains collections of Flemish
died in 1826. and Italian paintings.
214  BRIT T AN Y REGION B Y REGION For hotels and restaurants see p227 and pp239–41 NANTES  215
Château des Ducs de Bretagne Grand Gouvernement VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
The ducal palace, known
On the banks of the Loire, the Château des Ducs de Bretagne was since the 17th century as Practical Information
the Grand Gouvernement
founded in the 13th century, and served both as a residen tial (Governor’s Great Palace), 4 Place Marc-Elder. Tel 08 11 46 A Visitors’ Checklist gives
46 44. Ramparts and courtyard:
palace and military fortress. Anne of Brittany was born here in has been restored to its Open daily. Musée d’Histoire:
1477, and it is here that Henri IV is supposed to have signed the original splendour. The Open Sep–Jun: Tue–Sun;
double staircase leads up
Edict of Nantes in 1598. Over the centuries, the castle was to a single row of steps Jul–Aug: daily. 7 0 & contact points for tourist and
continually remodelled. The sturdy towers and drawbridge are beneath a porch. (museum only; moat ditches,
courtyard and sentry walk free).
counterbalanced by delicate Renaissance buildings facing on to ∑ chateau-nantes.fr
the courtyard. Converted into barracks in the 18th century, the . Grand Logis transport information, plus
castle passed into state ownership after World War I. A restor ation The façade bears the . Vieux Donjon
pro gramme to return the buildings to their original appearance coat of arms of Louis The polygonal keep, details of market days and
XII and Anne
was carried out between 1993 and 2006. The castle now contains of Brittany. built in the 14th
a major museum of the history of Nantes, with more than century on the orders
850 historical objects arranged across 32 rooms. of Jean IV de Montfort, local festival dates.
is the oldest part of the
castle. It is attached to
Entrance to the 18th-century
caretaker’s lodge.
museum
The top sights
Petit Gouvernement
Built in the 16th century,
during the reign of François I, . Tour du Fer-à-Cheval
the king’s apartments are This shield decorates the 6These are given two or
now known as the Petit keystone of the vaulting
Gouvernement (Governor’s inside the Tour du Fer-à-
Small Palace). The dormer Cheval (Horseshoe Tower).
windows are typical of Guarding the northwest more pages. Important
the Renaissance. corner of the castle, it is a
fine example of 15th-century
military architecture.
KEY buildings are dissected
1 Courtine de la Loire, the wall
linking Tour de la Rivière and Tour du Illustrious Guests
Port, was built in the 15th and
16th centuries. Many famous people have passed through to reveal their interiors;
The wedding of François II of Brittany and
2 Tour du Port was hidden by a the gates of the Château des Ducs de Bretagne.
bastion for 200 years. The bastion Marguerite de Foix took place here in 1471, and
was demolished in 1853. it was also here that their daughter, Anne, museums have
3 The castle museum is devoted Duchess of Brittany, was married to Louis XII in
to regional folk art of the 16th 1499. In 1532, François I of France came here to
to 20th centuries. Henri IV mark the “permanent union of the duchy and
4 Bastion St-Pierre, built in the Tour de la Rivière (1553–1610) country of Brittany with the kingdom of France”, colour-coded floorplans
as an inscrip tion in the courtyard recalls. Henri II,
16th century, was levelled off Forming part of the then Charles IX, also stayed in the castle. In
in 1904. castle’s sys tem of 1598, Henri IV thrashed out the terms of the Edict de Nantes, which
5 The Harness Room was built defences, the Tour de legalized Protestantism. He may even have signed the edict at the to help you locate the
by the army in the 17th and la Rivière consists of castle. Louis XIV also stayed here when he came to Nantes in 1661,
18th cen turies. two floors with a during a gathering of the States of Brittany.
terrace above.
For hotels and restaurants see p229 and p243 most interesting exhibits.
Key indicate the features
no visitor should miss.
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