Brest
Brest is a seaport, with an excellent protected harbor, located at the far northwest extremity of Brittany where the Penfeld River meets the Bay of Brest in the Département of Finistere.  It is France’s premiere naval facility, boasting a rich maritime history.  The river divides the city by flowing between the two opposite hills upon which the city is perched. The river is crossed by the Pont de Recouvrance, Europe’s largest lifting bridge.  Brest is situated on Route National 12, 246 miles southwest of Cherbourg, 132 miles west-northwest of Rennes and 351 miles west of Paris. 

The city dates from the Roman times when a settlement was established around 50 B.C.  The Château, which was constructed from the 12th century to the 17th century, is now a naval museum.  In 1240, Count Hervé V ceded Brest to John I, duke of Brittany.  From 1342 until 1397, the English occupied the town.  Brest passed, through marriage, from Brittany to the French crown in 1491.  In 1631, Cardinal Richelieu hastened the city’s development when he had the natural harbor improved for the major naval base he established there.  In the 1680’s, Jean-Baptiste Colbert improved the harbor and Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the well known French military engineer, fortified it.  Colbert also initiated the Maritime Inscription of 18 to 48 year old Breton fishermen into the naval reserve.  This system is still operative.

In 1694, the fortified harbor withstood an attack by combined Dutch and English naval forces.  In the 18th century, Brest was the main base for France’s Atlantic Fleet.  In 1830, the French Naval Academy was established at Brest.  Subsequently, a university was founded.

During World War I the harbor facility was used for the debarkation of American troops and as their supply base.  Between the wars, Brest’s importance as a transatlantic passenger port and as a naval base increased.  The Germans occupied Brest between 1940 and 1944, during World War II, and build concrete underground submarine pens for their Atlantic Wolf Packs.  Allied bombing razed the base and most of the city including the old town. 

Following the war, the port and naval base were restored and re-equipped.  The city has been rebuilt by laying out the streets and avenues in a rectangular fashion.  The wide Rue de Siam runs from the Pont de Recouvrance to the enormous Place de la Liberté.  Today, Brest and Toulon are the major French naval bases.  Brest is the Headquarters for the French nuclear submarine fleet.

Naval construction, repair and shipping have long been important to Brest’s economy, with the port being the city’s major employer.  During the 1960’s, industrial zones were created to counter a decline in naval activity.  Today, the economy engages in the manufacturing of chemicals, clothing, electrical equipment, fertilizers, machinery, paper and textiles.  Other industries include gas bottling, precision mechanics, ship building and processed food.

Océanopolis, which is located by the Port de Plaisance, provides a hands-on sea encounter with aquariums, exhibits and seals. 
 

Fougères
Fougères is a medieval fortified town located in a picturesque setting on a hill over looking the winding Nançon River.  It is located in the northeast portion of Brittany near the Basse-Normandie border.  It is situated on Route National 12, 25 miles northeast of Rennes in the Département of Ille-et-Vilaine.

During the medieval period the town was militarily important.  In 1166, Fougères’ 12th through 15th century castle was completely destroyed by King Henry II of England, but was immediately rebuilt.  Over subsequent centuries, the town and castle changed hands a number of times and was partially destroyed.  Today, the castle remains remarkably intact; the13 original towers and the10 foot thick walls still remain.  These walls are considered to be the most massive in Europe.

The town has two churches, the 16th century Eglise Saint-Léonard, which is off the Place aux Arbres, behing the Château.  The Eglise St-Sulpice is in the Flamboyant Gothic style, with an 18th century wood-paneled interior.  There are a number of picturesque old houses, located along the river, just off the Place du Marchix, dating from the 15th to the 17th century.  The town has often appeared in French literature, having been host to such writers as Gustave Flaubert and Victor Hugo.

In the 13th century the manufacture of sail cloth was begun in Fougères.  The town subsequently furnished sails for the French navy until the advent of steam powered ships.  In 1832 the town made its first woolen slippers.  This was followed, in 1852, by the manufacturing of leather shoes by hand at home.  By the end of World War I there were some 80 shoe factories in production.  The remaining shoe factories now manufacture mostly women’s shoes.  Today, Fougères also produces precision machinery. 
 

Lorient
Lorient is located on the right bank of the Scorff River at its juncture with the Blavet River at the Bay of Biscay.  It is in the Département of Morbihan, at the intersection of Route National 165 and D 769, 34 miles southeast of Quimper, 31 miles west-northwest of Vannes, 88 miles west-southwest of Rennes and 183 miles west-southwest of Paris.

Lorient began as the medieval village of Blavet.  During the reign of Louis XIII, 1610 to 1643, the king built a citadel at Blavet and the site was renamed Port-Louis.  In 1664, during the reign of Louis XIV, Colbert chartered a merchant trading company to settle there and trade with the far east.  The site was then renamed ‘L’Orient’ because of its trade with the East.  As the town grew, a second trading company settled there in 1719. 

Following France’s loss of its Indian possessions, commercial activity in Lorient declined.  During the reign of Louis XVI, 1774 to 1792, the crown established a royal arsenal there. In the period of the Empire, Lorient became a naval base.  Today, its arsenal specializes in the construction of prefabricated naval ships.  From June 25, 1940 to May 8, 1945, when Free French forces liberated the town, Lorient had been occupied by the Germans who had built a submarine base.  The base is now used for French submarines.

Lorient is really the site of 5 ports:  a military port [with 30 submarine pens and dockyards]; the Kergroise commercial port, specializing in importing animal foodstuffs; the Kéroman fishing port [the only French port designed and equipped for commercial fishing]; the Kernevel pleasure boat harbor and a passenger port.  The town and ports were destroyed during World War II and were completely rebuilt after the war.

The town’s main industries consist of fish processing and canning, furniture, pleasure craft navigational equipment, paint, ship building and textiles.  The Kéroman port sends seafood to both Bordeaux and Paris by rail. 
 

Quimper
Quimper, the capital of the Département of Finistere, is situated in a pretty valley at the confluence of the Odet and Steir river estuaries, in the southwestern corner of Brittany.  It is the ancient capital of La Cornouaille, Brittany’s most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton character.  It is at the intersection of Route National 165, D785, D765 and D783, 34 miles northwest of Lorient, 111 miles west of Rennes and 303 miles west-southwest of Paris.

Quimper was originally settled during Roman times.  Its name was derived from the Breton word ‘Kemper’, meaning the confluence of two rivers.  By AD 495, the town had become a Bishopric.  It subsequently became the capital of the counts of Cornouailles.  In the 11th century, it was united with the Duchy of Brittany.  During the civil wars, of the 14th century, the town suffered considerable ruin.  In 1364, the duchy passed to the House of Montfort.

The town has a rustic atmosphere with charming footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it.  The Church of Locmaria, a Romanesque structure, dates from the 11th century.  The Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, with its magnificent Gothic-style façade, was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries.  It is the oldest Gothic structure in Lower Brittany.  Its two towers are 250 feet tall; its spires were added in the 19th century.  The 15th century stained glass windows are exceptional.  The cathedral was named after Quimper’s first bishop. 

To the cathedral’s west are the pedestrianized streets of Vieux Quimper with a wide array of  crêperies, half-timbered houses and shops.  Near the Episcopal palace, which now holds the Musée départemental Breton [devoted to regional history, archaeology, ethnology and economy] are the ruins of the town’s 15th century walls.  Nearby is the Musée des Beaux-Arts.  The museum has a 19th century façade and an entirely rebuilt interior.  It houses a collection of 14th to 21st century paintings that includes works by Boucher, Corot, Oudry and Rubens along with canvases by such Pont-Aven school painters as Bernard, Denis, Lacombe, Maufra and Sérusier.

The town’s best known product is Quimper faïence pottery.  It has been made here, since 1690, using bold provincial designs of Jean-Baptiste Bousquet.  The town’s eating establishments boast of some of the best crêpes and cider in Brittany.  The town has also been known for copper and bronze work, food items, galvanized ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woolen goods. 
 

Rennes
Rennes, the capital of the Département of Ille-et-Vilaine, has long been a regional center, rich in historical monuments and customs, and a major Brittany intellectual and industrial city.  It is located at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine rivers, almost in the center of the département.  The city is located 111 miles east of Quimper, 88 miles east-northeast of Lorient, 25 miles southwest of Fougères, 132 miles east-southeast of Brest and 190 miles west-southwest of Paris.  It is situated at the juncture of Routes Nationals N 24, N 12, N 137, N 157 and D 175, D 463, D 163 and D 177.

Rennes’ name is derived from the name of a Celtic tribe, the Redones, who founded their capital at this site in pre-Roman times.  During the Roman period, Rennes served the province of Armorica as its transportation center.  In 1532, Brittany became a part of France.  Subsequently, in 1561, the Parliament of Brittany was established in Rennes, making it the seat of the duchy of Brittany.  Ultimately, the Parliament of Brittany was one of the 13 provincial parliaments making up the kingdom of France.

In 1720, the town was badly damaged by a fire lasting 6 days.  It was rebuilt with wide avenues and canals radiating from the city’s central hub, running in parallel with the canalized Vilaine River.  During the French Revolution, the Republican Army established its headquarters here for its fight against the Vendées royalists.  The city was badly damaged by bombing in World War II.

The Old Town [Vieux Rennes] is the part of Rennes that escaped the 1720 fire.  The Vieux Rennes is mostly pedestrianized and is a center for bars, crêperies and boutiques.  The Rue de la Monnaie, at the western edge of the Old Town, begins at the remaining 15th century city gate, the Portes Mordelaises. 

Vieux Rennes is also the site for the Cathedral.  Here, the two towers of the Cathédral Saint-Pierre, which was finished after 57 years of work, in the first half of the 19th century, were part of an earlier church that was partially destroyed by the 1720 fire.  The cathedral is the third church to stand on this site.  The stucco facing of the interior is covered with gilding and paintings.  The 16th century Flemish gilded and carved wood altarpiece, in the chapel by the south transept, is a masterpiece. 

Only a few buildings, on the north side of the Vilaine, survived the fire.  Among the surviving structures is the Palais de Justice, which is Brittany’s Parliament.  The typical Louis XV style town hall was designed and built by Jacques Gabriel during the 18th century.  A number of half-timbered private mansions with carved sills, that escaped the great fire, line the streets in the vicinity of the Place du Palais and the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville.  To the northeast are the French classical gardens of the Jardin du Thabor that was originally a part of the 16th century Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Mélaine.  The abbey’s lands were transformed, in the 19th century, into these gardens of varied flowers, trees, botanical garden and aviary. 

To the southeast of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is the building that houses both the Musée de Bretagne and the Musée des Beaux Arts.  The Musée de Bretagne presents displays that provide an excellent insight into Brittany’s history.  The Musée de Bretagne displays a collection of 14th through 21st century art.

Rennes has long been the seat of an archbishopric.  The Universitie of Rennes was founded in 1735 and was reorganized into Rennes I and II in 1970.  The university complex includes a medical school and several other specialized schools.  The university is well known for its Celtic studies. 

Rennes was traditionally an important market town.  Since World War II, it has become industrially important for such products as automobiles, agricultural machinery, chemicals electronics, printing, processed food, railway equipment and textiles.  Nearby, in Vern-sur-Seiche, is a petroleum refinery.  The city is an important rail and road junction connecting Paris with Brittany.
 

Quimper
Quimper, the capital of the Département of Finistère,  is situated in a pretty valley at the confluence of the Odet and Steir river estuaries, in the southwestern corner of Brittany.  It is the ancient capital of La Cornouaille, Brittany’s most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton character.  It is at the intersection of Route National 165, D785, D765 and D783, 34 miles northwest of Lorient, 111 miles west of Rennes and 303 miles west-southwest of Paris.

Quimper was originally settled during Roman times.  Its name was derived from the Breton word ‘Kemper’, meaning the confluence of two rivers.  By AD 495, the town had become a Bishopric.  It subsequently became the capital of the counts of Cornouailles.  In the 11th century, it was united with the Duchy of Brittany.  During the civil wars, of the 14th century, the town suffered considerable ruin.  In 1364, the duchy passed to the House of Montfort.

The town has a rustic atmosphere with charming footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it.  The Church of Locmaria, a Romanesque structure, dates from the 11th century.  The Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, with its magnificent Gothic-style façade, was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries.  It is the oldest Gothic structure in Lower Brittany.  Its two towers are 250 feet tall; its spires were added in the 19th century.  The 15th century stained glass windows are exceptional.  The cathedral was named after Quimper’s first bishop. 

To the cathedral’s west are the pedestrianized streets of Vieux Quimper with a wide array of  crêperies, half-timbered houses and shops.  Near the Episcopal palace, which now holds the Musée départemental Breton [devoted to regional history, archaeology, ethnology and economy] are the ruins of the town’s 15th century walls.  Nearby is the Musée des Beaux-Arts.  The museum has a 19th century façade and an entirely rebuilt interior.  It houses a collection of 14th to 21st century paintings that includes works by Boucher, Corot, Oudry and Rubens along with canvases by such Pont-Aven school painters as Bernard, Denis, Lacombe, Maufra and Sérusier.

The town’s best known product is Quimper faïence pottery.  It has been made here, since 1690, using bold provincial designs of Jean-Baptiste Bousquet.  The town’s eating establishments boast of some of the best crêpes and cider in Brittany.  The town has also been known for copper and bronze work, food items, galvanized ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woolen goods. 
 

Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc is situated on a plateau between the Gouëdic River and the canalized Gouët River on the north coast of Brittany.  It is located barely 2 miles from Saint-Brieuc Bay on the English Channel.  The town sits astride Route National N 12, at its intersection with D 700.  It is 80 miles east of Brest, 48 miles southwest of Saint-Malo, 57 miles northwest of Rennes and 235 miles west of Paris.  It is the capital of the Département of Côtes-d’Armor [Côtes-du-Nord].

Saint-Brieuc was named after the 5th century Welsh monk, St. Briocus, who evangelized the area.  The town grew up about the monastery he established.  During the Hundred Years’ War, 1337 to 1453, the English besieged the town.  In 1375, Olivier de Clisson defended the town against the duke of Brittany.  But, in 1394, Clisson himself attacked the town.  In 1592, during the Wars of Religion, the Spaniards pillaged the town.  It was struck by the plague in 1601.

The Cathédral de Saint-Étienne was constructed over the course of two hundred years, from the 13th to the 15th century, as a church fortress.  The seven bays of the lofty nave were rebuilt in the 18th century.  The wooden altar, in the south aisle, was carved by Corlay around 1745.  The southern transept is lighted by beautiful 15th century stained glass windows.  The cathedral was restored in the 19th century.  To its north are many 15th and 16th century half-timbered and corbelled houses.

Saint-Brieuc is an important northern Brittany market town and tourism center.  Its port is engaged in outfitting vessels for the Newfoundland and Iceland fishing fleets.  The town’s  products include brushes and metallurgy.  A national school of navigation is located in the town. 
 

Saint-Malo
The seaport of Saint-Malo is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Rance River in the Département of Ille-et-Vilaine.  Part of the town is constructed on a rocky promontory.  It is connected to the old walled city, on a nearby granite islet, accessed by an old causeway.  The town is located at the juncture of Route National N 137 and D 156, 40 miles north-northwest of Rennes, 48 miles northeast of Saint-Brieuc, 36 miles west of le Mont-Saint-Michel and 240 miles west of Paris.

Saint-Malo was named for a Welsh monk, Maclou, who fled to nearby Saint-Servan, during the 6th century, where he built a monastery.  It wasn’t until the 8th century that the Saint-Malo islet was substantially populated by those from the surrounding areas seeking refuge from the Normans. 

Saint-Malo was fortified with ramparts during the period from the 12th century to the 18th century.  In 1144, the bishopric was transferred to the islet from nearby Saint-Servan, where it remained until abolished in 1790.  During the 14th through 17th centuries the town’s bishops oversaw the construction of a large fortress. 

Saint-Malo prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of its navigators, privateers and traders.  During World War II, three-fourths of the town was destroyed.  Following the war, the town was scrupulously restored to its prewar charm.

The Cathédral of Saint-Vincent was begun in the 11th century and finished in the 18th century.  Its west façade is in the Renaissance style.  The cathedral’s somber 12th century nave is roofed with Angevin styled quadripartite vaulting.  This contrasts the slender 13th century chancel’s radiant lighting provided by its modern stained glass windows. 

The town of Saint-Servan, to the south, merged with the seaside town of Parmé, to the east, and with Rothéneuf and Saint-Malo to become the municipality of Saint-Malo in 1967.  Today, the Saint-Malo port has more than 2.5 miles of docks and trades mostly with England and Scandinavia.  Its harbor has specialized facilities to accommodate a fleet of trawlers as well as yachts and pleasure craft.  There is regular summer ferry service from the harbor to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernesey and there is daily car ferry service between the harbor and Portsmouth England.
 
Saint-Malo, in addition to being a fishing port and a commercial seaport, has become a manufacturing center for such products as boats, lace and processed food.  The port’s imports consist of fertilizers, timber and wood.  Because of the town’s uniqueness, it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Brittany. 
 

Vannes
The historic town of Vannes is configured in the shape of an amphitheatre, just a mile inland from the virtually landlocked Gulf of Morbihan, at the confluence of the two streams that form the Vanne River.  It is the capital of the Département of Morbihan.  The town is located at the juncture of Routes Nationals N 165, N 166 and D 767, 95 miles southeast of Brest, 67 miles northwest of Nantes, 57 miles southwest of Rennes and 339 miles west-southwest of Paris.

Vannes, originally known as Darioritum, was the ancient capital of the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people whom the Romans conquered in 56 BC.  Later, the Veneti lead an unsuccessful uprising against Julius Caesar.  In 466, Saint-Paternus, the Celtic ecclesiastic, was consecrated the first bishop of Vannes.  For a period, Vannes was ruled by a series of independent counts and was subsequently dominated by the Franks.  In 845, the Breton leader of Armorica, Nominoë, defeated Charles the Bald, and his Franks.  He then founded the independent duchy of Brittany, with Vannes as his capital.  In 1532, the duchy united with the French crown and the capital was transferred to Rennes.

Vannes has grown well beyond the old walled town that was perched upon a hill.  Its ramparts, linked to gates and towers, were built from the 13th through the 17th century.  They are well preserved on the eastern side of the town.  The picturesque old city is enclosed by the ramparts and is grouped about its cathedral.  The Cathédral de Saint-Pierre was burned in the 10th century.  It was rebuilt during the 13th to the 19th century and its Chapel of the Holy Sacrament contains the tomb of the Spanish monk, Saint-Vincent-Ferrer, who died in Vannes in 1419.  The Rue de la Monnaie, which runs south from the cathedral, is populated by well-preserved 16th century houses.  To the cathedral’s northwest is the picturesque Place Henri IV which is lined with 16th century gabled houses.

The archaeological museum, the Musée d’Archéologie du Morbihan, occupies 3 floors in the 15th century Château Gaillard which once contained the Parlement de Bretagne.  It holds an impressive collection of prehistoric items such as jewelry, polished axes, pottery and swards.  It also houses medieval and Renaissance art objects.

The Aquarium océanographique et tropical contains thousands of fish from all over the world.  There is even a live coral reef populated with numerous species of colorful fish.  There are also sharks and a large sawfish.

Vannes is a prominent agricultural center for poultry farming and for the preparation of cattle and poultry foodstuffs.  Its industries include fabrics, leather, metalworking, the production of prefabricated building materials and tires.  The town’s flower gardens are a popular tourist attraction.